What I Did For Love
by LANIKI
Summary: House meets a kid and her aunt, a former Broadway star and finds himself getting involved in their lives. House/OC story - lots of romance, some angst, lots of fun.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Clinic duty was never a good time for Dr. Gregory House. Some days he at least got a laugh out of it, but most of the time, it was just frustrating. But once in while, there was something a little special.

When House entered the exam room and saw the patient, he looked around the room a few times. This child could not be here alone.

"Hi, I'm Dr. House."

"Hi." the girl said, sitting up as straight as she could and trying to look older than her years. He light brown hair was hanging straight down her back, held back by a purple headband. Her brown eyes were a little wary, but she was trying to act mature.

"So what's the matter today, other than the fact that you should be here with an adult?"

"I don't need an adult. I'm eighteen."

"Oh, right. Actually, so am I."

She giggled.

"Well, that's about as funny as you being eighteen. How about you subtract about ten years?"

"Only seven!" she cried, then looked crestfallen as she realized that she'd given away her age.

He smiled. "That's better. So you're eleven. Where's your mom or dad?"

"Dead."

The one word answer startled him and at first he doubted her word, but the look in her eyes belied the truth of it.

"Okay. So you must have a guardian, someone who takes care of you?"

She looked down, then sighed. "My aunt."

"And where's auntie?"

"She'll be right back." the child said quickly. "She, um, had to go to the bathroom."

"Taking a long time there."

"She's not feeling good. She said you should take care of me since she might be awhile."

"Did she also tell you to lie about your age?"

"I didn't want to embarrass my aunt by telling you she was stuck in the bathroom. I just need you to look at my arm."

"What's your name?"

"I wrote it down."

"Yeah, but something tells me you didn't write down the right one. So why don't you tell me your real name?"

She sighed again. "It's Tiffany."

"Seriously?"

She nodded and he wondered about people who named their kids after expensive jewelry stores. But since these particular people were dead, he supposed they'd been punished enough for it.

"Okay, Tiffany, I need your last name, your address and your phone number."

"No. You're going to call my aunt, aren't you?"

"What's wrong with that?"

"'Cause I was playing football and now I've messed up my arm and I won't be able to dance."

House looked confused. "So are you worried because you won't be able to dance or because your aunt doesn't want you to play football or because you think you dance with your arm? Which might be cool, since most people dance with their feet."

"If my arm is broken, I won't be able to do the ballet. You can't do that with a cast on your arm."

"Are you upset that you won't be able to do it or that your aunt will be upset?"

She was silent. House assumed it was the latter, but he waited for her to speak.

"She's a dancer. She wants me to dance. Not play sports."

He wondered why this woman wouldn't let the child play sports. He knew what it was like to have interests and have no parental support for them.

"Well, much as I'd like to help you, without an adult present, I can't treat you. I can't touch you. I can't even look at your arm."

She looked like she was going to cry. He remembered being a kid and feeling helpless.

"I can talk to you, though, and find out what happened."

She hesitated, and he said, "Come on, K Mart, talk to me."

She looked at him sharply. "Why did you call me K Mart?"

"Well, if you're going to be named after a store, it may as well be one that you can actually afford to shop in."

She giggled, then shrugged her shoulders. "I was playing football at school with some other kids and I fell. I landed on my arm and it really, really hurts."

"When did this happen?"

"Yesterday."

He stared at her. "And you waited until now to tell someone?"

"I thought it would get better. And I didn't want my aunt to know."

"Yeah, we covered that part. You like football, K?"

"It's okay. I really like soccer and basketball. I used to play them all the time. But that was before…"

She trailed off and he understood that it was before her parents' death. He had a pretty good picture in his head right now of this aunt. Self-centered, trying to force the kid to follow her interests, completely ignoring the child's desires. He really wanted to tell this woman something.

"So, K, your phone number? The real one?" He held out the clipboard.

"Okay." She took it and the pen and scribbled down the number. He smiled at her and took the board from her.

"I'll be back when your aunt appears."

He left the room and handed the clipboard to the nurse, instructing her to call the child's aunt and to page him when she arrived.

Twenty minutes later, he was heading back to the exam room. He went in to see a tall, slim woman leaning over the child. When the girl saw him, she called out, "Hi, Dr. House."

The woman looked up and smiled at him. Chestnut brown hair tied back in a loose ponytail, green eyes flecked with gold and a killer body struck him right away.

"Hi, I'm Casey Landers, Tiffany's aunt. Thank you for contacting me."

"Right." he said, dismissing the woman, despite the body. "Alright, K Mart, let's take a look at that arm now."

Casey's smile faded. She was confused, but decided to see what was up.

House examined the arm. He felt it gingerly. Tiffany winced a bit, but didn't seem to be in great pain.

"I don't think it's broken. More likely a sprain or strain. I think it should be x-rayed just in case."

"Of course, doctor." Casey said.

"You okay with that, K?" he addressed the child.

"Will it hurt?"

"Nope."

"Okay."

"A nurse will be in to take you to X-ray. As soon as the results come back, I'll be back to let you know what's up."

Casey watched in confusion as he left the exam room. Then she shrugged and turned to her niece.

"What happened, Tif?"

"I'm sorry, Aunt Casey. I didn't mean to hurt my arm."

"Of course you didn't. But you could have told me."

"I'm sorry."

"Oh, honey, you don't need to be sorry. It's okay. I just want to make sure that you're alright."

"I guess I am. Dr. House was really nice and funny."

Casey smiled at her niece. "I'll be right back."

She left the exam room and looked quickly around. When she saw House going through patient folders on the desk, she approached him.

"Dr. House, I want to thank you for your patience with Tiffany. You were really wonderful with her."

There was a stunned silence in the clinic as the staff tried to understand the words that they had never heard in the same sentence before: House - patience - wonderful.

His blue eyes glared at her, but he just said, "Right." and turned away from her.

"Really, doctor. You don't understand how long it's been since she's connected with someone other than me. I can't tell you…"

"Well, maybe if you let her do what she wants to do, she'd have the chance to connect with other people."

"What are you talking about?"

"The kid likes sports. She doesn't want to dance in a show. Let her do what she wants to do and stop trying to impose your interests on her."

Casey was shocked. "You have no idea what went on with that child the past seven months."

"I know her parents died."

"Not just her parents. Her two brothers as well. All of them were killed by a drunk driver. She lost her entire family."

House was silent. He didn't usually feel compassion for people, but K Mart was a cool kid and that was a lousy thing to happen to her.

"So she gets stuck with you. And you decide that taking away everything she loves to do is the best way for her to get over it."

"No, I decided that since she was practically catatonic and didn't want to do anything or see anyone, that doing something was better than doing nothing."

He looked at her eyes blazing at him and got a sudden vision of her legs wrapped around his waist as he banged her senseless. He didn't know where that came from. He tried to shake the vision from his head, but it wasn't easy.

Casey was livid. How dare he? What did he know about Tiffany and what she had been through? It didn't help that she got a sudden vision of her legs wrapped around his waist as he made love to her. Where did that come from?

She tried to shake the vision as she continued. "I would love for her play soccer or anything. She's had no interest in anything. I decided to try putting on a show at her school and convinced her to be a part of it as a favor to me."

He looked down at his cane. Maybe he'd been wrong. Not that he would admit it to this woman.

"Well, she wants to play sports now. So talk to her and stop worrying about the dancing."

The nurse interrupted them. "Miss Landers? I'll be taking your niece to get the x-ray now."

Casey nodded and followed the nurse.

While Casey waited for her niece, she thought about the rude doctor. He was pretty scruffy looking, with the unshaved beard and the wrinkled clothes. But there was something about him. Maybe it was the blue eyes - man, were they ever blue! And the vision that she'd had while talking to him, even while he'd been so rude to her had thrown her. Maybe it was just sexual deprivation. It had been a while.

Still, she didn't know why he was so rude to her. Especially since he was very nice to Tiffany. She had told Casey that the doctor was really cool. Which also amazed Casey.

Once the films were back, House returned to the exam room once again.

"It's not broken. Not even sprained. Just a bad strain. We'll wrap it and it should be fine in a few days." He started placing the ace bandage around the child's arm.

Casey looked at her niece with relief, then said to House, "That's terrific. I was so afraid it was broken and she'd be out of commission for awhile."

"Yeah, I bet you were." he said sarcastically. "She won't be able to dance for a few days. No football, either K Mart, until it's healed."

"I promise, Dr. House." Tiffany said. "And I'm really sorry, Aunt Casey."

"Sweetie, I told you, it's okay."

House snorted. "Right. No chance to turn her into a carbon copy of you, huh."

"Oh, I could never be like Aunt Casey. She's a terrific dancer. And singer. She's on Broadway. Well, she was, until…" the child lowered her head, looking at the floor.

"I told you, Tif, I'm exactly where I want to be."

"You could have been in Chorus Line if it wasn't for me."

"That's enough of that." Casey turned to House. "Dr. House, is there anything I need to know to take care of her arm?"

House had watched the two as they discussed it. He wondered, then shrugged, it wasn't his problem. "The nurse will give you some instructions. Keep it real, K.

He left the room. Casey followed him.

"Dr. House?"

He turned to stare at her.

"I know that you don't seem to like me for some reason, but…"

"Forget it. I don't need to like you. The only thing I have to care about is treating the kid."

"And you did a great job with that. I just wanted you to know how much I appreciate it."

"Sure." he started to turn away again, then returned his gaze to her. "Were you a success on Broadway?"

She shrugged. "I had a few pretty good roles. Mostly chorus and understudy work. But I was always working and it was …good."

"And yet you gave it up?"

"Tiffany needed me."

"Still, why give up a successful career?"

"She's family."

He snorted.

"Don't you have any family, doctor?"

"Not really."

"Oh, there has to be someone. Someone you can depend on. Someone you would risk your life for. They don't have to be related to you, they just have to live in your heart."

A picture of Wilson flashed in his mind, but he pushed it out. He didn't want to believe her words.

"It's what you do for family."

"It's what you do. Not me." he said, but he could tell she didn't believe him. And he knew he didn't believe him either.

Casey took a deep breath. "I realize you don't know much about Tiffany, but it's been really tough for her. And you are the first person she's connected with besides me since it happened."

He stared at her, trying to concentrate on her words and not the thought of what she would look like naked.

She swallowed, dismissing the thought of what his body looked like under the wrinkled clothes. "I was wondering if you would do me a favor?"

He'd be happy to 'do' her, but he didn't think that was what she was asking for. He waited for her to speak.

"Would you come for dinner? I know this is asking a lot, but she seems to really like you. And as I said, she hasn't connected with anyone."

"Why do you think she's connected with me?"

"Maybe she sees you as a father figure."

"Oh, God, if that's true, the kid is more screwed up than I thought."

"Please, Dr. House, it would mean a lot to her." she hesitated, wondering if she should say this, but she did anyway. "I'm sure your wife won't mind. In fact you could bring her."

He smiled. "Nicely done. Good way to fish for information. Don't worry, there's no wife. No fiancée or girlfriend, either. And I'm not gay."

She smiled back. "So you'll come for dinner?"

"Can you cook?"

"I can hold my own."

"Okay. When and where?"

"Tomorrow night?"

"If I don't have a dying patient, you're on."

She nodded and wrote down her address.

"See you then, Dr. House."

She smiled again and turned back to the exam room to collect her niece.

House watched her walk away, wondering what would be served for dinner. And he wasn't thinking about the food. He smiled as he limped away.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Why was he going to dinner with them? With a self-sacrificing Broadway dancer and a depressed kid? The woman would be bouncing all over the place, singing show tunes while the child moped around feeling sorry for herself. Didn't sound like a fun evening to him.

So why had he agreed to it? It probably had something to do with the dancer's body that Casey Landers had displayed in her tight jeans and sweater. The woman was hot, there was no denying that.

Still, he'd met other hot women and they still hadn't lured him to a family dinner.

He didn't want to admit that it might be the kid. Tiffany Landers' freckled face and sad eyes had **NOT** gotten to him. Sure, he liked her. She was cute and smart. And she liked to play football. That was a cool thing for an eleven-year-old girl. But that was all he thought about her.

And he was definitely not a father figure. No way!

Still, here he was, limping up the walk of the house. It was a pretty nice one, not too large, but big enough. And the neighborhood was pretty pricey. He wondered how much money Casey had made on the Broadway stage.

The house was brick, two story. A large front porch surrounded a white front door that one of those crafty flower wreaths on it. There was a porch swing and rocking chairs on the porch. Beds for flowers when spring came surrounded the house. A large maple tree was on the lawn in front.

This was the heart of suburbia. He groaned. He was so not a suburban guy.

This was a mistake. He should turn around and get out of there. He was almost ready to do that, when the door opened suddenly.

"Hi, Dr. House." Tiffany said.

"How ya doin', K Mart?"

She giggled. "I'm fine. Please come in." She added with a hint of manners that had evidently been drilled into her.

He followed her inside. To the right was the living room, attractively decorated in pale blue and cream, with a sofa, loveseat and wing chair, along with assorted tables and lamps. In front of the bay window stood a round table with a large bouquet of silk flowers in a glass vase upon it. The artwork on the walls, while not priceless, was still art gallery quality.

In the far right of the room was a staircase leading up. The room was lovely, but looked as though no one had entered it in a long while.

As he glanced around, he saw Casey come out of the room straight ahead, which he presumed was the kitchen since he could just see the edge of a refrigerator.

She smiled at him. "Hello, Dr. House. I'm glad you were able to come."

The look in her eyes said that she'd had her doubts about whether he would show up.

His blue eyes met hers as he spoke. "Couldn't let K Mart down. Might miss the blue light special."

Tiffany giggled again. The look on Casey's face at the sound of her niece's laugh astounded House. It was pure joy; as if the sound was the sweetest she'd ever heard.

Actually it was. Tiffany had laughed more since she'd met the gruff doctor than she'd done in all the months since her family died.

Which was why Casey had invited the man to dinner. It had absolutely nothing to do with the sexy beard and the gorgeous blue eyes. And the fact that Casey had not enjoyed any male companionship since coming to live with her niece also did not matter.

All right, to be honest, the blue eyes and the lack of a man did have something to do with it. But she had encountered other attractive men in the last few months. Yet none of them had connected with Tiffany. At this point, she was loath to bring anyone into the child's world that might upset her.

"Would you like a drink, Dr. House?" Casey asked him.

"Sure, scotch if you have it. And the name's Greg."

She smiled at him and moved into the room to the left, which turned out to be a dining room. It was also tastefully decorated and looked as unused as the living room.

He followed her as she went up to a small liquor cabinet. She pulled a glass from the shelf above it.

"Ice?" she asked.

"No."

She nodded, picked up the scotch bottle and poured some into the glass. As he watched her perform the simple and mundane task of pouring a drink, he was amazed at the grace and fluidity of her movements. Even if he hadn't known already, he would have guessed she was a dancer.

She turned to hand him the drink and saw he was staring at her, his blue eyes like lasers boring into her.

"Is something wrong?""

He shook his head, releasing himself from the trance watching her had put him in. "Where's your drink?"

"I have a glass of wine in the kitchen." She said and looked at him, wondering what he was thinking and also wondering why she liked looking at him so much.

"Dinner will be ready shortly. Tif's in the family room if you want to sit with her. This way."

She left the dining room and headed into the dining area of the kitchen. There was a round table set with three place settings. She moved to her right where the long wall had all the kitchen appliances lined up. There was a doorway at the end of it leading to what he presumed was the family room.

It was and there was a large TV against one wall, with a sectional sofa surrounding it. In the corner, a computer was set up on an L shaped desk. Now this room looked like people lived here.

Tiffany was sitting in front of the computer, looking at some kids' website. She smiled when he came in and jumped up.

"Come and sit over here, Dr. House."

She led him to the sofa and he sat down beside her. She picked up the remote control from the coffee table.

"Do you want to watch TV?"

"Tif, let Dr. House relax. Remember, he's a guest."

The child looked disappointed. House winked at Casey. "It's okay. Go finish making dinner so hungry people can eat." He turned to Tiffany. "I'm up for TV. What've you got?"

Casey smiled at them and left the room. Tiffany turned on the television. She started moving through channels. She stopped briefly at the Disney channel, but the look on House's face told her to move on.

When she got to Nickelodeon, she looked warily at him again, but he smiled. "Stop, that's Sponge Bob!"

"You like Sponge Bob?" she asked incredulously.

"Sponge Bob is awesome."

Tiffany grinned and sat back on the sofa. Twenty minutes later, when Casey came in to tell them dinner was ready, she was shocked to see them laughing together over Sponge Bob and Patrick's antics. She was also extremely pleased. Why her niece had chosen to bond with this man of all people, she had no idea. But she wasn't going to complain.

They moved into the dining area and Casey placed a large salad bowl on the table and started to dish it out. She went back to the kitchen and brought out a bowl of spaghetti, Tiffany behind her with a basket of garlic bread.

"I hope you like pasta." She said. "I really don't know how to cook a lot of things. I'm trying, but you don't want to taste my experiments. But I perfected my pasta sauce years ago. It was a cheap meal when I was an out of work performer. It was also meatless."

"Are you a vegetarian?" he asked her.

"No, but lots of my friends were. So I learned to make my sauce with lots of veggies, but no meat."

She saw the look on his face and grinned as she added, "But I also learned to cook the meatballs separately, because I had other friends that wanted meat."

She went back to the kitchen and returned with a casserole dish filled with meatballs.

They all dug into the food. House was pleasantly surprised at how good it was.

"So," he said between bites. "What did you do on Broadway? Would I have heard of you?"

"Nothing really major. I mostly did chorus or understudy roles, a few small parts. But, let's see, I did Thoroughly Modern Millie – dancer; revival of Guys and Dolls – one of the chorus girls. But I did understudy Miss Adelaide. I got to go on for two performances when Faith Prince was called out of town. Lots of other parts like that."

"Yeah, but what about A Chorus Line?" Tiffany said.

"Well, that doesn't really count."

"Sure it does." She said. "Dr. House, she was cast in A Chorus Line, but had to give it up because of me." The child looked sad.

"Tif, I told you before, it doesn't matter."

House looked perplexed. "What's the big deal? Sounds like you were in a lot of chorus lines. What was special about that one?"

"Not just a chorus line. It was **A** Chorus Line." Tiffany told him.

He was still confused. Casey said, "Come on, you know, the Michael Bennett show? Music by Marvin Hamlisch? 1976 Best Musical Tony winner? Played for over 6000 performances? Longest running show until Cats beat it?"

He shook his head.

"You never heard of it? One of the best musicals ever?"

"I'll take your word for it."

"She was gonna play Sheila." Tiffany said.

Casey looked wistful for a moment. "Carole Bishop won a Tony for that role in 1976. Not that I would, but…"

She broke off, shaking her head as if to clear it. "I definitely wouldn't. The woman doing it is awesome, I'm sure. She was my understudy during rehearsal and she was really good."

Tiffany looked dejected again. "It was the day before opening night when…" She couldn't finish, but House knew she meant when her family died. He looked at Casey. That had to suck. She finally got a big break in her career and had to give it up.

But the woman was smiling at her niece as she put her hand on the girl's arm.

"Do you really think I could have performed after that? I was a mess too. And this is exactly where I want to be Tif. We're a team, right?"

The child gave her a wan smile, not convinced but accepting the words anyway.

"So, Broadway must pay pretty well. House said, trying to change the subject.

"Are you kidding? It's the pits unless you're the lead. The chorus and understudies make lousy pay. You do eight shows a week and you have to pay rent in New York City. And if you take any time off, and they find they can replace you with someone they like better, you're out."

"So big deal, eight shows. You only work, what three hours a show, that's twenty-four hours a week and you can sleep in every day."

She was livid. "You have to get to the theater at least two hours before the show to get into make-up and costumes, and it takes almost as long to get out of it after the show. And that's not counting when you have to be there for rehearsals, which go on even after the show opens. Sleep in? You get up early to go to dance and exercise classes, because you have to keep your body in tip top condition and you can't do them later in the day because of matinees and rehearsals.

"Unless you're the lead, being on Broadway is not going to make you rich and it's a hard life."

"Then why would you do it?"

She looked at him in confusion. "Why wouldn't I?"

"Still, you had to make pretty good money to afford this house."

"This isn't my house. It's Tiffany's. It was my brother's and he left it to her. Luckily he had mortgage insurance, so it got paid off, but we still have to pay the taxes which are pretty high in this neighborhood."

"Well, if you're not on Broadway anymore, how are you earning money?"

"I've been teaching at a local dance school." She smiled when she said this, but it didn't reach her eyes. He knew that teaching dance was not fulfilling her life after being on stage on Broadway. It would be like him working in a free clinic in some Podunk town.

Time to change the subject again. "How's the arm doing, K Mart?"

"It feels a lot better, Dr. House." She moved the arm that still had an Ace bandage on it. "It hardly hurts at all."

"You'll be ready for football by next week."

She looked down at her plate, not answering him. Casey watched her, then sighed.

"Tif, you don't have to be in the show, if you don't want to. I'm just a little worried about you playing football. Those boys in your class are a little rough. There are a lot of other sports you can play."

"That's okay. I won't play football, if you don't want me to. And I'll be in your show."

"It doesn't matter about the show. Why don't you join another team?"

"I can't." The girl said so quietly they almost didn't hear her.

But Casey had. "Why can't you?"

"It doesn't matter."

House watched the woman struggle with what to say to her niece and the child trying to hide something from her aunt. Something about the child's manner told him something.

"Why do you feel guilty, K?"

Both females looked quickly at him.

"She has nothing to be guilty about." Casey said.

"I don't feel guilty." Tiffany said.

"You're right, she probably doesn't have anything to be guilty about. Doesn't change the fact that she's beating herself up about something."

Tiffany looked down at her plate again, trying to hold back tears. Casey stared at her niece.

"Honey, what is it? What are you feeling? You can talk to me."

Tiffany fiddled with her fork for a bit, afraid to meet her aunt's eyes. But she glanced quickly at House. He winked at her and nodded his head.

"Because I didn't go with them."

"What? What are you talking about? Didn't go with whom where?"

"My family. They were taking a holiday they said and taking Bruce to college. Todd went with them, 'cause he wanted to see the college too. But I didn't want to go 'cause I was in the summer soccer league and I would miss three games if I went. So I begged them to let me stay home and I spent the weekend at Terry's house. And I was playing soccer when they died."

Casey was speechless, but House spoke. "And you think you should have died with them?"

She nodded. Casey covered her mouth with her hand. "Oh, sweetheart, what would I have done if that happened? I lost my brother, your mom, who was like a sister to me and my two nephews. Almost all of the family I had in this world. If you had died too, I'd be totally alone right now."

Tears were running down the child's face. "I'm sorry, Aunt Casey. I wouldn't want to hurt you."

Casey smiled at her. "You could never hurt me, honey. But what does playing sports have to do with it?"

House piped in. "Because she wanted to play with her team more than she wanted to be with her family, so she figures it was her punishment for being selfish."

Casey realized he was right, so she addressed her niece again. "Tiffany, you weren't selfish, you were honest. And I can guarantee that the last thing going through your dad's mind at the moment of the car crash was, 'Thank God, Tiffany isn't with us.'"

Tiffany turned her tear-streaked face to Casey. "You think so?"

"Of course. He loved his sons, but you were his princess. He adored you. He was ecstatic when you were born. He couldn't refuse you anything. I know he was glad that you didn't die with them."

Tiffany managed a wan smile.

"So, K," House asked her, "What team are you going to join?"

A hopeful expression lit her face as she said, "Well, there is an indoor soccer league that starts up next month. Then there's softball in April."

"Sounds like a plan. What about you, Aunt Casey? Can you handle an athlete in the family?"

"I certainly can! Tif, that would be great."

Tiffany looked at House again. "Dr. House, would you come and watch me play?"

House glanced at Casey who was trying to keep her expression neutral, then back at the girl who was openly pleading. What would he be getting himself into if he agreed? Still, this kid had gone through enough. If watching a few soccer games could help her, how hard would it be?

"Sure." He said. "Just let me know where and when."

When he looked again at Casey, he saw a smile and a grateful expression on her face. Well, hey, gratitude from the hot aunt could be a nice bonus.

After some additional time at the table, they got up and Casey and Tiffany brought the dishes into the kitchen. Tiffany started heading back into the family room, but Casey stopped her.

"Did you finish that math homework?"

"Almost."

"Almost doesn't cut it. Go and finish and then get ready for bed."

"But, Dr. House is here!"

"You'll see Dr. House again. Come on, kiddo, let's go."

Tiffany said goodnight to House and trudged upstairs to her room. Casey looked at the man standing in her kitchen, wondering what to do next.

House watched the child leave and tried to decide whether he should go too, when Casey said, "Would you like some coffee?"

He recognized the offer as a request for him to stay longer. "Sure, coffee'd be great."

She made it and when it was ready, brought it into the family room. They sat on sofa, next to each other, but with some space between them.

"Doctor – I mean, Greg, I appreciate what you did with Tiffany. I don't know how I missed that she was feeling guilty. I mean, I should have known…"

"You're too close to it. Plus, you probably felt some guilt yourself. Most people feel irrational guilt when family members die suddenly. 'Why didn't I call him? Why didn't I tell her how I felt?' Blah, blah."

"You're probably right."

"Of course I am."

Casey stared at her coffee cup for a few moments, then spoke in a hesitant voice. "Greg, can I ask you a favor?"

"Another one?"

She smiled briefly. "It's important that you don't lie to Tiffany. I understand if you don't want to watch her game. But don't let her believe you are and not show up. She'll be disappointed if you can't come, but she'll get over it. But don't lead her on, don't have her looking at the spectators throughout the entire game, waiting for you if you don't intend on ever being there."

He stared at the carpet for a while, not sure how to answer her. The truth was, he was thinking that he could perhaps tell the kid he was coming and not show up. He figured he could always use work as an excuse. Casey's words made him rethink that idea. He realized it wouldn't be fair to the kid to lie to her. Or to the aunt.

"I'm not sure if I can always get away from work. But if I tell her I'm going to be there, unless there's an emergency at the hospital, I'll be there. I promise not to lie to her."

Casey gave him a tender smile. "Thank you, Greg." She said softly.

She was so beautiful sitting there, and he couldn't stop himself. He leaned over and kissed her gently on the lips, then pulled back, checking for her reaction. She looked a bit wary, then she leaned towards him and he met her in the middle and their lips touched again. This time they held it longer as it became more intense. Her arms went around his shoulders, his found her waist as their lips opened and tongues met. Time seemed unimportant as they lost themselves in the kiss. His hands started moving up her back and she caressed the back of his neck and moved her hands into his hair.

Just as he was getting ready to take it to the next level, she pulled back and moved away from him.

"I'm sorry, Greg," she said, breathless from the kiss. "I can't do this."

He looked away, and then back at her. "Okay, too fast? You don't do it on the first date? I need to buy you dinner first? What? Tell me, so that I can work it out."

She shook her head. "No, nothing like that. God, if this was a year ago, we'd already be in bed, probably working on our second or third time."

He stared at her, afraid to speak because even though he knew she was saying no, her words were getting him more excited.

She stood up and walked around the room. "I had friends that used to moan and groan about guys and how they needed a commitment from them and how they couldn't continue seeing them without it. I used to laugh at them. I'd meet a guy and if I was attracted, we'd do it for as long as it lasted. I couldn't understand why it was so complicated."

"It's not." He said.

"It didn't used to be. But now, my life is different. I can't get involved with anyone without thinking about Tiffany first."

"She likes me. No problem."

"That IS the problem. She likes you."

He looked confused.

She stopped walking and turned to face him. "Do you understand what the last seven months have been like? She's been upset, lonely, sad, crazy. But she hasn't been the same kid I've known for the previous ten plus years. Do you know what Christmas was like? It was hell! I asked her what she wanted, she said 'nothing'. So, of course, I went out and bought her everything I could think of: MP3 player, video games, CD's and DVD's, a ton of clothes. She barely looked at them.

"You asked me before why I didn't let her do sports. I practically begged her to join a team, she wouldn't. She spent her days doing what she had to do, but nothing more. Going to school, doing her homework, getting dressed each day. But there was no life in her.

"Then she meets you and pow! She's alive again. I don't know why. Maybe she sees you as a father figure, though Lord knows how she could, you're not the least bit like her father. It doesn't really matter. She's connected with you and she's come back to me. Plus, you just got her to open up about what's been torturing her for seven months."

She sat down beside him and put her hand on his arm. "Do you think I would do anything to screw that up?"

"Who says you would?" he asked.

"Well, first of all, my track record with guys isn't the best. I don't know about yours, but I'm not known for long term relationships. We could get together now, have fun for a few weeks and then it could be over. And then what happens to Tiffany? The one person she's connected with is gone."

He looked away from her. He understood what she was saying, but he didn't want to admit she was right. Admitting it meant he wouldn't be getting any from her.

"Please, Greg, can we just be friends? At least for awhile? It's important to me that Tiffany has you in her life right now."

"You're expecting a lot from me. I'm not known for long relationships either. And I'm especially not known for being a friend or being kind to children."

She smiled at him. "You've been incredibly kind to her already. I think you like her too. And I don't think you would deliberately hurt her."

"Then you really don't know me." He got up and started moving out of the room. He turned back to her. "I'm not this nice guy you two seem to think I am. And if you expect me to be, you're both going to be disappointed."

"I think you're nicer than you think you are. You came here tonight, didn't you?"

"I came here because I figured if I was nice to the kid, I might get some from the aunt. I'm not that nice."

Her eyes narrowed at him. "You can say what you want, you still came here and you still helped her."

He sighed and left the room. She followed him and when he got to the front door, she put her hand on his arm again.

"Greg, I'm not saying it will never happen. But it can't happen right now."

"Yeah, right." He opened the door and left the house.

She watched him limp to his motorcycle, get on and drive off, before she closed the door. Once back inside, she leaned back against it and smiled.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Casey alternated between watching the soccer game and looking at her watch. It was at least fifteen minutes into the game and Greg House still had not arrived. She could see Tiffany stealing glances towards the spectators as well.

God, if he didn't show up, she would do some serious damage to the man, sexy blue eyes and amazing kisses notwithstanding.

And she really had to stop thinking about that kiss.

It was almost three weeks since he'd been to their house and the kiss had happened. Since then, her head was in a constant swirl of confusion. A stupid smile had appeared on her face when he left that night and it hadn't really disappeared since. The only time she was able to wipe it off was when she was berating herself for thinking about him.

And it was totally absurd to recall how much she had been looking forward to seeing him at this game. She had let Tiffany call him, afraid she'd make a fool of herself if she talked to him. She might have asked him to come their house again.

She might have asked him… well, she knew what she might have asked him and she really didn't want to think about that.

It was better to let Tif talk to him and Casey could just sit back and anticipate seeing him.

But now the infernal man wasn't coming!

She decided to stop looking at her watch and concentrate on the game. Tiffany's team just missed a goal and she yelled her disappointment.

"What's the score?" a male voice said from behind her.

She turned quickly. The blue eyes that met hers held so much heat, she thought she might melt.

"You made it!" she heard a voice say that should have been hers, but sounded like a prepubescent teenager, then mentally kicked herself at how stupid and desperate that sounded.

"Apparently."

"Well, Tiffany will be happy." She said hastily, trying to cover up her stupid comment. "Um, no score yet."

Tiffany looked again towards the spectators. He raised his hand briefly in greeting and a smile lit up her face.

And the stupid smile was back on Casey's face. Okay, so she was happy that Tiffany was happy. It had nothing to do with her libido.

She glanced at him. He quickly turned his eyes back to the game. He had been looking at her too.

Of course he had. House had spent the last few weeks trying very hard not to think about the totally hot, totally infuriating woman now standing beside him.

But a certain part of his anatomy kept reminding him how hot that kiss was and how he had driven home that night with a stiffie.

Tiffany made a goal and they both shouted their cheers. For the rest of the game, they stood there side by side, pretending not to care that the other was there, but sneaking glances at each other every now and then.

Finally, it was over. Tiffany's team had won and the kids were ecstatic. When she gathered her things and joined them, they both congratulated her.

Eyes shining, she said to House, "Did you see my goal, Dr. House?"

"Sure did. Well-played."

She beamed. Casey forced herself to wipe the stupid smile off her face.

House looked away, then down at his cane. "So you guys wanna get some pizza or something?"

"Sure!" Tiffany said excitedly.

Casey hesitated. "You don't have to…I mean, it was nice of you to come, but…" She was so afraid of sounding too eager. In reality, she almost acted as excited as her niece.

"No big deal." House said, looking away. "If you don't want to, it's cool."

"Please, Aunt Casey?" Tiffany pleaded.

Ok, she thought, she could make it be for Tiffany, not for her.

"Well, if you really want to, I guess we can."

"Yay!"

House wondered why he had invited them. Casey seemed reluctant to spend time with him, only doing it because her niece wanted to. Maybe he'd read it wrong. Maybe she wasn't into him.

Oh, well, it was just pizza.

They found a nearby pizza restaurant and were soon settled into a booth. Tiffany had arranged for House to sit next to her, so Casey found herself staring into blue eyes throughout the meal.

Luckily Tiffany dominated the conversation because Casey could never have managed to speak intelligently with the man across from her. Just concentrating on getting her slice of pizza to her mouth without dribbling melted cheese onto the table and thereby making a complete fool of herself was hard enough.

Finally, she took herself in hand. After all, she was a performer. She could pretend this was just another performance. She joined into the conversation and even found herself enjoying it, laughing at the things he said.

The restaurant was popular with the other players as well and soon kids from her team arrived with their parents. Tiffany wanted to go over to talk with them, but she didn't want to leave the table and House.

Casey didn't want her niece to leave her alone with the sexy doctor either, but she knew it was important for the girl to reconnect with her friends.

"Go ahead." She told her. "Dr. House will still be here when you're finished."

House nodded and Tiffany took off happily.

Left alone, Casey and House stole some more furtive glances at each other. Casey decided to break the silence.

"You know, she has a crush on you."

"What?" House looked alarmed.

"She really likes you and she doesn't quite know what to do with it."

"I'm a little old for her to be crushing on."

"I know. I think she does too. But you're not at all like her father, so she can't put you in that role. For now, crush is the best that she can do."

"What about you? Any crushes?"

"On you?"

"Actually, I was thinking about the Jonas Brothers. I hear they're really hot. Or anyone else that you want to talk about."

Casey looked down at the table to avoid his eyes. "No, no crushes."

He smirked. "I don't believe you."

She looked up at him sharply. "What are you talking about?"

"You can barely look me in the eye. Tell me you're not feeling the same as K Mart, just with embellishments."

"You sure have a high opinion of your charm. Unfortunately I've yet to see it."

He smiled at her, and she knew her words were just that. He may not have conventional charm, but he was sexy as hell. And he knew how to read her. She sighed. She was never good at playing flirting games.

"What do you want me to say? That I find you attractive? We were both present at that kiss, you know that I do. But the situation is the same as it was that night. Actually, it's gotten worse. Because Tiffany is so enamored of you. If we got together and then broke up, she'd be heartbroken.

"So, I can lie in my bed at night and dream of you being beside me, but what good are those dreams going to be? We can't do anything about it."

He was encouraged by the fact that she was dreaming about him beside her in bed. "Well, I could make all your dreams come true. After all, sex is just sex. We don't have to let the kid know about it."

She was amazed. "Do you really think we could do that?"

"Sure, why not?"

"Because…because…oh, you are impossible! "

"Come on. You just admitted that you want me as much as I want you. And I agree with you that K Mart doesn't need any more disappointment in her life. So I stay her friend. But privately you and I become friends with benefits."

She wasn't quite sure how to respond. On the one hand she should be outraged at his suggestion. But on the other hand, she sort of agreed with him. And it had been so long since she'd been with a man. And she really wanted this man.

She stared at the blue eyes that were boring into her. Then she sighed. "I'll think about it."

He opened his mouth to say more, but then Tiffany returned to the table, full of happy talk about what her friends did and invitations made. He decided to do a wait and see.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

A few days later House found himself heading to Casey's house. He wasn't thinking about sex. He wasn't thinking about why he was heading to her house instead of home. He wasn't really thinking anything at all. He just had to get away from the hospital and for some reason he didn't want to be alone.

Casey answered the door wearing a tight tank top and stretch pants. The outfit left nothing to the imagination. The music playing in the background told him that she was probably practicing her dancing.

"Sorry to bother you." He told her as she moved aside to let him in the house.

She was going to give him a smart answer, but then she looked at his face. There were circles under his eyes and his blue eyes were bleary.

"What's the matter?"

"Just had a crappy day."

"It's not even ten a.m. Kinda of early for the day to suck."

"My day started two days ago when my latest patient was given to me. It ended about an hour ago when she died."

"Oh, Greg, I'm so sorry! What happened?"

"I couldn't figure out what was wrong with her. She died before we got the answer."

"Oh, Greg."

"Yeah, well, the autopsy told us what we didn't know. And I should have figured it out."

Casey was going to offer words of sympathy or encouragement, but realized that with this man and at this moment, words like that wouldn't mean much. She went up to him and put her arms around him. She didn't say anything, she just held him.

He wasn't expecting her affection, but he responded by putting his arms around her waist and pulling her close to him.

"Greg, I can't say anything to make you feel better, but I want you to know that I'm here for you."

He looked at her and then pulled her closer and pressed his lips to hers. She returned the kiss and didn't stop him when his hands started to move up her back and slid under the tank top. She reached into his jacket and moved her hands up his back as well.

It was only seconds before her tank top and bra were lying on the floor along with his shirt and jacket. She reached for his belt and had it undone in no time. Once it was, she slid his slacks down to the floor and pulled his boxers along with them.

He watched her as she pulled off his clothes, admiring her dancer's body, Nice round breasts, flat stomach and long, strong legs.

Her hand found him and worked its magic. Then she got down to her knees and her mouth took over. He groaned in pleasure as she licked and sucked. She brought him to the edge and just as he was about to go over, he pulled away and drew her up.

"No," he whispered, "I want to come inside you."

They moved quickly to the sofa, but House remembered to pick up his trousers on the way. He usually kept a condom in his wallet. It was good to be prepared. He pulled it out and held it up for her.

"Are you some kind of boy scout? Always prepared?" she asked with a laugh.

"No boy scout here, as you are about to find out."

They dressed him and as she lay back on the sofa, he moved on top of her. After another long, passion-filled kiss, he was inside of her.

Sex between them was everything they'd anticipated, nothing they'd expected and all they could wish for.

They lay together on the sofa, arms and legs entwined. Her head was resting on his shoulder and his lips were in her hair.

He didn't want to speak first, but he felt he should. "I didn't come here for this."

"Are you regretting it already?"

He laughed. "Of course not! I just wanted you to know, this wasn't the reason why I came here. I just needed to see you. This was a nice bonus."

"As long as it was nice."

"Better than nice. Exactly what I needed. And was it nice for you?"

"Very nice."

They lay there quietly for awhile, just enjoying the feel of each other's body.

"You know," she told him, "I'm here alone during the day until three when Tif comes home. Except for Thursday when I teach an adult dance class. So if you wanted to take an extra long lunch break once in awhile…"

He looked at her, amazed. Had she just offered him afternoon delight? Without having to take her out to dinner first? And if it was lunch break time, there wouldn't be much time for foreplay or cuddling afterwards. Had he died and gone to heaven?

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, why not? We don't want Tiffany to know, right? And we want to keep doing this right?"

"Well, I do."

"I do too."

"Okay, I guess we can try that out. As a favor to you." He added. "So, did I make all your dreams come true?"

"Not yet. But we've got lots more things to try. I'm sure we'll get there."

He smiled, anticipating some interesting lunches.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Five days later, House thought about Casey's offer. He didn't have a patient and wouldn't mind hopping over to her house for some fun, but he hesitated. What if she wasn't serious about that offer or had changed her mind? He might not get any nookie and he would miss out on having Wilson pay for his lunch.

He decided he should call her first.

She answered the phone with a lilting voice.

"Hi." He said. "How's it going?"

"It's going good. How are you?"

"Fine." He was silent and she wondered why he had called. She'd thought he would be back right away to take her up on her offer, but she hadn't seen or heard from him. Maybe he hadn't enjoyed it as much as she did. She was a bit out of practice, but still, she'd thought they'd done pretty well for a first time together.

"So, what are you up to today?" he asked her.

"Not too much. Just working out and doing some cleaning. Pretty boring stuff."

"Oh. Well, could you use some company?" How pathetic was he? He couldn't come right out and ask her if she wanted to bang him today?

How sweet, she thought. He didn't want to come right out and ask if she wanted to bang him today. "I could always use some company. Company brightens up any day."

He smiled, replacing 'company' with 'sex.' "Okay, I'll be over around noon."

"I'll be waiting."

I'll bet you will, he thought.

She was waiting, right by the door. She took his hand and looked in his eyes, thrilling when those blue, blue orbs pierced hers.

"I hope you meant what I thought you meant."

"I did."

"Good, let's go."

She pulled him into the family room and they made love on the sofa. As soon as they were done, he dressed, gave her a quick kiss and headed back to work.

The next day, he was at her house again at noon. She greeted him at the door,wearing only a lacy bra and some tap pants. As soon as he walked in the door, she was in his arms, kissing his face, neck, whatever. He did the same and they barely made it to the sofa.

She called him the next day and told him to meet her upstairs. The back door was open when he got there and he could hear music playing upstairs. He trudged up the stairs and followed the sound to a small room in the back. She was lying on top of the single bed, completely naked.

He sucked in a breath when he saw her, and immediately his lower body snapped to attention. His clothes were off as quickly as he could manage it and they were together on the bed.

The next time he went to her house, she greeted him at the door again wearing sexy lingerie and that time, they didn't make it to the sofa. But hell, the floor worked just as well.

In between all of this, he went to Tiffany's soccer games and they usually went out for pizza or ice cream afterwards. House and Casey were careful not to sit next to each other, which wasn't hard since Tiffany wanted to sit next to House. They also tried not to look at each other too much, as their eyes usually held the desire for each other.

On the weekends, he would go to their house for dinner, usually spending most of the time with the kid. They watched TV or played video games together. Tiffany started calling him Dr. Greg. Her parents had taught her to show respect for her elders, so she knew it wasn't right to just call him by his first name.

Casey told him it was better at those times that he spend time with her niece so that she wouldn't suspect what was going on between them.

Casey wondered about this relationship. She certainly enjoyed the sex. It was amazing, the best she could remember. But they hadn't gone out on a date, nothing that would signify a traditional male/female relationship. Still, they had been together enough with Tiffany for her to start to get to know him.

One night at dinner, Tiffany had asked about his leg.

"Dr. Greg, why do you walk with that cane?"

"Tiffany!" Casey admonished her. "That's not polite!"

Tiffany looked ashamed, but House brushed it away. "It's okay, we're buds now." He smiled at the girl and began his story. Casey hadn't been bold enough to ask him, so she was curious as well.

In words that the girl would understand, House explained about the infarction and that part of his thigh had been removed.

"Did it hurt?" Tiffany asked.

"Yep. Still does."

Tiffany was silent for a few moments, then she said, "I guess lots of things don't stop hurting, huh?"

House just nodded. A short time later, she ran off to IM a friend. Casey and House remained at the table, drinking coffee. Casey watched the silent man across from her.

House noticed her scrutiny. "What?"

"You didn't tell her the whole story."

"What makes you say that?"

"Because you're bitter about it."

"I'm a cripple! Don't I have a right to be bitter?"

"Sure you do. But you're a doctor. You understand that people get sick and there's no explanation for why. That alone wouldn't make you bitter. There's something else."

He stared at the table. He didn't look up as he spoke. "They wanted to amputate my leg. I didn't want them to, I thought it would heal."

"And it didn't?"

"It would have, but it didn't get the chance. My girlfriend was my medical proxy. I was in a coma and she authorized this."

"Ah. You believe she betrayed you."

He shrugged. "Doesn't matter anymore."

"Well, it does as long as you still blame her."

"I don't still blame her. We resolved it a long time ago."

"But you're still bitter about it."

"I'm not bitter!"

"Okay, if you say so."

He looked at her. She was more perceptive than he thought. She wasn't supposed to be. She wasn't supposed to care about what he thought or felt. They were sex buddies, that was all.

They continued with their afternoon trysts for a few weeks, enjoying the sex immensely. House continued to visit when Tiffany was there and they never touched each other.

Tiffany was expanding her horizons. Besides the indoor soccer league, she had joined a softball team as well. At school, her marks were improving, she had joined several clubs. And she had become a Girl Scout.

One day at dinner, Tiffany ran in, excited. "Our scout leader just said that our troop can go camping! Can I go, Aunt Casey?"

"When and where?" Casey asked.

"In two weeks. We're going to the council campground. It's about an hour away. We'll leave Friday after school and come home Sunday. We'll be gone the whole weekend!"

House and Casey gave each other a brief glance, both thinking of a weekend alone together.

"Well, honey," Casey said, "If you really want to go, I guess so."

"Yippee!" Tiffany cried, correctly echoing House and Casey's feelings.

They spent some time on the phone and out of their noon times together making plans for the weekend. House wondered if he should take her out on a date. She didn't suggest anything like that and he didn't want to push it if she was happy with the way things were. But the weekend without Tiffany would give them time alone and time to have prolonged sex. That was exciting.

As it turned out, Casey suggested they eat dinner at her house. Her unspoken words suggested she had something planned.

When House arrived on Friday evening, he saw only the night lights on in the kitchen. He followed the sound of soft jazz music playing in the family room. There he saw lots of lit candles filling the room. There was a fire blazing in the hearth. And a small, low table in front of it, with large pillows for seats. The pillows were next to each other, facing the fireplace.

Casey walked to him and greeted him with a kiss on his mouth.

"Will sitting there be okay with your leg?" She asked, indicating the low table.

"Sure." He responded, "No problem."

He maneuvered himself down to the floor and settled on one of the pillows. Casey sat down beside him. On the table in front of them was an odd assortment of food. There were several types of cheese, cut in small pieces; pieces of meat and shrimp that had obviously been grilled; olives and roasted red peppers; small stuffed grape leaves; some things wrapped in pastry dough and chunks of French bread. There was also a bowl filled with strawberries, grapes, cubed pineapple and slices of banana.

"Interesting choice of dinner." He told her.

She smiled and picked up a piece of cheese, then held it up for him. "Open up."

He looked at her oddly, then opened his mouth. She placed the cheese in it. He chewed, watching as she selected a strawberry. She placed the end of it in her own mouth and then moved closer to him so that he could take the other end, which he did and they both bit, the strawberry juice running down their chins as their mouths met.

She was reaching for something else, when he stopped her. "My turn."

He selected a piece of shrimp and did the same as she had. They continued eating this way, picking up pieces of food and feeding each other. Every now and then, they would stop for long kisses, their tongues entwining and tasting whatever they had last eaten. He reached out to caress her breast and fondled her as she put some fruit in her mouth. It was strangely erotic.

They ate their fill – of the food and each other, interspersing the odd meal with kissing and fondling. Somehow, during this play, articles of clothing had been lost. She was down to her bra and panties, he had only his jeans on.

Once the fun and games were finished downstairs, they decided to move to the second floor where a bed would make the rest of the evening better. House was a little stiff as he made his way up the stairs – both his leg and another part of his body. But he knew that once he got into the bed and Casey started working on him, he'd be fine – in both places.

Casey was a little ahead of him and was going towards her room, but he reached out and stopped her.

"Not your bedroom. I'm not spending the night in that single bed."

"But…that's where I sleep."

"Maybe so. But there has to be another bed in this house." He headed for a room in the front of the house, opened the door and switched on the light. Inside was a king size bed, neatly made. Nothing in the room was out of place, and there was a fine layer of dust over everything.

He heard a gasp from Casey and turned to see her in the doorway, her face pale. "No." she said in a whispered voice. "We can't…not in here."

"Why not?"

"This is my brother's room."

"Was. Your brother is dead."

"That's cruel."

"It's the truth."

"I can't."

House looked at her. "Casey, you treat this house like a museum. You only use the rooms you have to use. You never sit in the living room, you never eat in the dining room. You don't go into this room. You live in the kitchen and family room. And the guest room, which was probably the room you used here before they died."

He knew he's gotten it right by the look on her face.

"You can't even afford to live here. Why do you?"

"It's Tiffany's home."

"Does she want to stay here? If she does, she probably wants to use all the rooms. If she doesn't want to use the rooms, she'd probably be happier somewhere else."

Casey just stood there, unable to speak. He walked up to her and put his hand on her arm.

"I like being with you here. Hell, I like being with you anywhere. The sex has been amazing. But there is no way I'm spending the entire night sharing a single bed with you. I can't do it. Especially when there is a nice comfy bed here that we can use."

She still hesitated and he leaned over and nuzzled her neck, whispering into her ear, "Lots of fun things we can do in that bed."

Casey knew that keeping her brother's house like a shrine was silly. It was just that something held her back from actually using any room she didn't have to or changing anything in the house.

But she knew that House was right – sleeping together in her single bed would be damned uncomfortable for both of them. He was still nuzzling her neck and fondling her breast. The thought of sharing the entire night with him in a big, comfortable bed was certainly enticing.

She put her arm around his waist and he slowly led her to the bed. They fell back on it and started moving hands over each other's bodies. She lost her underwear and his jeans and boxers went as well. He pushed her back on the big bed and covered her body with his, while he kissed every inch of her. When he filled her, she forgot where she was in the pure ecstasy of being with him.

As they finished, he pulled her close to him before they both fell asleep. He felt strangely at peace with this woman beside him. His last thought before he closed his eyes was, Nice.

Waking up in next to House was better than anything she had imagined. She felt his arm around her waist and a stiffness pressing into her ass. She turned over slowly and kissed him. He smiled at her and they repeated what they had done the night before.

The day was spent mostly in bed. Casey got up to make coffee for them. She had bought muffins and bagels for their breakfast so that they wouldn't have to bother cooking. She brought the coffee and pastries upstairs and they ate in bed and went back to kissing and fondling. They slept in between.

Later when they were hungry again, they ordered a pizza and went downstairs to eat that, watching a movie while they did.

Saturday night was almost a repeat of the previous one. They tried a few different things and a few different places. After getting her to sleep in her brother's room, House was able to also lure Casey into the living room and they had sex on the sofa in there.

On Sunday morning, Casey was up early. She woke House at eight. He groaned and rolled over, but she didn't hesitate.

"Come on, get up. You need to get dressed and out of here. I have to clean everything up. Tiffany will be home around noon. They can't be any trace that you were here and what we did."

House was beginning to think that this secrecy was getting old, but he was afraid that if he told that to Casey, she might say they should just stop having sex. So he dragged himself out of bed, got dressed, and after drinking a quick cup of coffee, was on his way home.

As Casey closed the door behind him, she started to think that all of this secrecy was getting old. But then she thought of Tiffany. She couldn't hurt her niece. Her experience with kids and crushes was very minor and she was afraid she would destroy the child. So she would have to keep her lover a secret.

But she sighed when she thought of the weekend they had spent together. It had been so nice to spend that much time together. Beforehand, she had been a little afraid that they wouldn't be able to deal with each other for all of that time. After all, before that, they had only spent time together with Tiffany or having quick sex.

During this weekend there was plenty of sex. But there was also time to talk. And time to not talk. To just spend time together quietly. And she had loved every minute of it.

House had too. He tried to tell himself it was just because the sex was so hot. How often did an old cripple like him get the chance to have a weekend of unbridled sex with a hot dancer? But he had enjoyed being with her when they weren't having sex too.

No, that was just because he was anticipating the sex to come.

Of course it was.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

A few weeks earlier, James Wilson had suspected there was something going on with his friend House. For one thing, he had more money in his pocket. He hadn't paid for House's lunch in over a week. That in itself was unbelievable.

But there was also something different with House himself. He seemed a little…what was it? Happier? Not really. But maybe more at ease.

Wilson knew that the two events were probably connected and the fact that House hadn't talked to him about either clinched it in his mind. Since he was House's self-appointed guardian, he knew he had to find out what was going on.

He went into House's office in the morning and sat down in the chair in front of the desk where his friend was tossing a red and gray oversized tennis ball into the air.

"So, what about lunch? There's a new Chinese restaurant about half a mile from here. Looks great. What do you think? My treat."

"Can't."

"You're passing up a free lunch?"

"Got an appointment."

"Is it the same appointment you've had almost every day for the past two weeks."

"Yep."

"And that appointment would be?"

"My business."

Wilson sat up. "House, what are you doing?"

House looked him straight in the eye. "Needed some extra cash, so I'm knocking over liquor stores in my spare time."

Wilson sighed. "Come on, what's up?"

"I've started a shelter for homeless strippers and I go there every day at lunchtime to give them physicals."

"While that is slightly more believable, it's still not the truth."

House studied the ball in his hand for a few moments, before finally saying, "I've met someone."

"What do you mean, like, a woman?"

"Yeah, like a woman, but not really. Actually, she's a Martian. We can't understand each other, but we figure it's good for galactic relations.

Wilson stared at him and finally House nodded.

"And you're having lunch with her everyday?"

With a leer on his face, he said, "I'm having something with her everyday."

Wilson's eyes grew large. "You're having sex with a woman everyday at noon?"

House smiled.

"Who is she?"

"Former Broadway dancer."

"Dancer?"

"Yep. Great body. Legs that don't end."

Wilson wondered how things like this happened to a man who regularly insulted almost everyone he met and was by most people's standards totally unlovable. Yet, somehow he managed to attract beautiful women. Stacy, Cameron, even Cuddy. An Asian stewardess, a twenty-something nutritionist, among others. Now a sexy dancer.

"So, you're just seeing her at lunchtime?"

"No, sometimes I go over there at night. But her niece is there, so we don't do anything around the kid."

Wilson was really confused now. "So, you can see her for sex during the day, but you still go to see her for no sex and when there's a kid around?"

"The kid is cool. We're buds."

"You're friends with the niece and having sex with the aunt? While nothing when it comes to you is unusual, this does seem a little out of character."

House gave him an odd look that said, don't push this.

Wilson smiled. "Good for you."

"It's just sex."

"Right."

Just then, House's beeper went off, saving him the trouble of having to answer.

"Sorry, gotta go. Sick people to heal." He rose and limped out of the office.

Wilson watched him leave and continued smiling. Then he sighed, thinking about how capable his friend was of sabotaging his own happiness.

As the weeks went on and House's noon time meetings continued, Wilson began to worry more. Who was this woman? What was she like? Would she hurt his friend?

And what about this 'friendship' with the child? This wasn't usual for House and he worried about that too.

He decided he needed to find some answers. It wasn't hard to follow House when he left the hospital the next day. He spent the next hour sitting in his car parked well down the street from the house he had seen his friend enter. When he saw him leave, he took a breath and waited another twenty minutes, then drove up to the house.

The woman who opened the door was gorgeous. Chestnut brown hair that she was trying to control with a rubber band, but which had obviously just been mussed. Green eyes that looked soft and sensual. He knew this wasn't the best time to meet her – right after she'd just had sex with House. It was also a bit weird. But he knew he had to do it.

"Can I help you?" She asked.

"I'm sorry," he said. "My name's James Wilson."

"Why are you sorry your name is James Wilson?"

He smiled. "No, I'm not…this is awkward. I'm a friend of House's.

She smiled as well. "Ah, you're Greg's Wilson."

He nodded. She stepped aside to let him in.

Ho thought the house was nice, but a little sterile. She led him through to the family room.

"Would you like something to drink? Coffee? Beer?"

"No, I'm fine."

She nodded and they sat on the sofa. "So what is it you would like to know Dr. Wilson?"

He hesitated, then said, "House is my friend."

"Of course. And you want to make sure he doesn't get hurt."

"Something like that."

"You don't have to worry. He's just in this for the sex."

Wilson looked confused. "But he's friends with your niece?"

"Oh, sure, but that's just him being nice."

Wilson looked really confused. "Wait, we're talking about GREG House? Blue eyes? Walks with a cane?"

She smiled. "Yes, of course."

"He's never just being nice. There's usually a reason behind it."

"Well, if it was to get into my pants, it succeeded. But he's still friends with her."

"By 'friends', you mean…"

"They play video games, he comes to watch her soccer games, we go for pizza or ice cream. Stuff like that."

Wilson's mouth was hanging open. "He's going to her soccer games? He's sleeping with you and he's still going to her soccer games?"

"Sure."

"You may not realize it, but for Greg House this is huge."

"No, it's just…"

"It's huge. Look, I have to go. But I just want you to know, he likes to hide his feelings, but he does have them. And he can screw up a relationship faster than anyone I know."

"Actually, that's usually me."

He just shook his head. "Then you're both in for some surprises."

He rose and bid her goodbye. As she closed the door behind him, a lot of things were going through her head. It would take a while to sort them out.

Wilson was in his office later that day, when House burst in and sat on the sofa. Wilson tried to ignore him and keep working, knowing his friend would make his presence and reason for being there known in his own time.

"So," House began, "What did you think of her? Hot, isn't she?"

Alarmed, Wilson looked up. "Who…what are you talking about?"

"You're not CIA. Did you think I didn't see you following me? Or you trying to hide behind the one tree on the street?"

Wilson sighed. "I was …concerned."

"You were nosy. You always are. So, give me your review."

"She seems nice."

"She's not nice in bed. She's naughty." House said with a leer.

"House, she's a nice girl. She's a good person for you. And apparently you get along with her niece. You've hit the jackpot. Don't screw it up."

He looked back at his paperwork, hoping House would leave. House glared at him, wanting to give him a sharp retort. Unfortunately, he totally agreed with Wilson and didn't know exactly what to say.

He decided the best thing would be to beat a hasty retreat. So that's what he did. Wilson smiled when House slammed the office door.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

At first, Wilson's visit had confused Casey. What was the man implying? Greg had been very nice to Tiffany. She herself had fun with him, both in and out of bed. But since she didn't expect it to be much more, she refused to let it bother her. She decided to just enjoy the situation as it was and hope for the best.

House tried to put Wilson's admonishments out of his head, but found it hard to do. He also found it hard to put Casey and Tiffany out of his head. And telling himself that it was the hot sex that was dominating his thoughts wasn't working either.

Because he certainly wasn't having sex with the child and he enjoyed being with her too. He tried to stay away from their house, but found himself there more often than not.

And on the nights when he deliberately stayed away, he was miserable and wished he was there.

By some luck, House and Casey were able to keep their liaisons a secret from Tiffany. They took advantage of the girl's involvement in new activities to squeeze in extra time together.

House would sometimes come to dinner on evenings that she had practice or Scouts and promise to wait for her to come home. Then he and Casey would use the time she was out to fool around, being careful of the time. By the time she arrived home, they were sitting apart from each other, watching television.

When she went away for the weekend or even for a sleepover, they spent the night together. Although Casey wouldn't sleep in it alone, when House was there, they slept in her brother's bed.

Of course, they still enjoyed their afternoon delights. House didn't think life could get much better.

Tiffany was at a sleepover party with her friends and House and Casey were enjoying the night alone. They went to bed and made love, then fell asleep in each other's arms.

It was just past midnight. Casey was asleep, but woke up when she heard a sound. Was that footsteps? She heard House snoring softly beside her, so she knew it wasn't him. She lay very still waiting to hear what was happening.

After a few quiet moments, she heard a scared voice say, "Daddy? Mom?"

Oh shit, Casey thought. She reached for the bedside lamp and after turning it on, looked up and saw Tiffany standing in the doorway. The girl's face was pale.

"Tiffany? What are you doing here? I thought you were at Judy's?"

The child's eyes grew wide as she saw her aunt in the bed. And when House lifted his head to see what was going on, the look on her face was heartbreaking. She ran from the room.

House let out a groan. "Well, this is going to be fun."

"I'll talk to her." Casey jumped out of bed and looked for her t-shirt on the floor. From the hall they could hear a door slamming.

"Yeah, that'll help." He buried his face back in the pillow, wondering if he was going to be getting any more sex in this house now.

She pulled on the t-shirt and quickly walked out to the hall. She approached her niece's room and knocked gently on the door.

"Tif? Can I come in, honey?"

"No!" was the response from behind the door.

Casey knew the door didn't lock, but she didn't want to barge in unless she had to.

"Tif, I really need to talk to you. To explain."

"Go away."

Casey sighed and turned the doorknob. She opened the door and peeked inside. Tiffany was curled up on her bed, clutching a stuffed lion.

"I see you still have Simba."

The child was silent.

"Remember when I bought that for you? You were four and you spent the weekend with me. I took you to your first show, The Lion King. And then afterwards, we went to FAO Schwartz and you wanted Simba. You used to sleep with him all the time."

Tiffany stared at the animal in her arms. From the moment she got the toy, she had slept with it every night. When she turned ten, she thought she was too big to sleep with a stuffed animal and had relegated him to her shelf. But then her family died and she had snatched him from the shelf.

In recent weeks, she had been able to put him back. Tonight she needed him again.

"Come on, Tif, talk to me, please." Casey pleaded.

"I don't want to talk to you."

"Look, just tell me what's bothering you the most."

Tiffany looked up at her, then quickly away. "Nothing."

"That's not true. And you have a right to be upset. For many reasons. I just want you to talk to me about it."

Tiffany held the animal even tighter. Casey waited while the girl got up the nerve to speak. Finally, she lifted her head and looked at her aunt.

"You were sleeping in Mom and Daddy's bed with Dr. Greg!"

Casey nodded. "Yes, I was. What do you think about that?"

"Are you having sex with him?"

Casey knew that her niece had been told the facts of life. She herself had made sure the girl understood that she was a single woman and might have a sexual relationship with a man. She knew the best thing right now was to be honest.

"Yes, I am. Is that okay?"

"Are you going to marry him?"

Casey had a feeling that question would pop up when Tiffany found out about them. To this child, that would be the ultimate dream come true. The man who had become an unlikely substitute father to her would become her uncle and guardian. But Casey didn't want to lead her on. Especially since she didn't think the man in question was willing to take on the role of father or even guardian.

"It's too early for that. But I wouldn't count on it. We're really just friends."

"Why were you having sex in Mom and Daddy's bed?"

"It's bigger than my bed." She said honestly.

Tiffany nodded and sat there some more.

Casey thought maybe changing the subject would help. "So, why are you home now anyway?"

"Judy's dad got sick and her mom had to take him to the hospital. She called Nicole's mom, 'cause they live next door and she drove the rest of us home."

"Oh, my, is Mr. Brennan okay?"

"Yeah, Mrs. Brennan called Nicole's mom before we got here. He was okay, but staying in the hospital for the night."

"Well, that's good." She watched her niece still sitting there silently. She asked her, "So how do you feel about all of this?"

She shrugged. "I don't know."

"It's a lot to take in, honey. I know that. You think about everything and when you're ready to talk, let me know."

Tiffany nodded, keeping her eyes averted from her aunt's and hugged the lion.

It took her awhile, but eventually she fell asleep, still clutching Simba.

When Tiffany woke up the next morning, it was earlier than usual. She wandered downstairs, averting her glance from the bedroom where she assumed her aunt and House were still sleeping.

She was wrong. Because when she went into the kitchen, she found House drinking coffee. He was surprised to see her. Casey had told him that Tiffany didn't get up that early and they had hoped that he would be gone by the time she did. He wasn't sure what to say to her. She was usually so happy to see him and full of things to say. Now she was quiet, not even meeting his eyes.

"Morning K Mart." He said, hoping to get a smile out of her as the name usually did.

She looked at him then, hurt in her eyes. "That's not my name."

"Okay." He was at a loss. What to say to this girl? He was totally out of his league here. It wasn't that he didn't like kids. For the most part, they weren't too bad. They were more honest than adults so you knew exactly where you stood with them.

Like now. He knew he was no longer her favorite. And he knew that he had to do something to ease that pain she was feeling. He didn't stop to analyze why.

"So, I guess you don't like me anymore."

She shrugged. "Why do you care if I like you? Aunt Casey _likes_ you. And that's the only reason you were hanging around and going to my games and stuff."

Ah, he thought, now we're getting to it.

"Don't flatter yourself, kid. I've been with lots of women. And I've never needed a kid to help me get them."

Tiffany just glared at him. House sighed. "I thought we were buds."

She shrugged her shoulders.

"Ah, so maybe you've been using me. You wanted a devastatingly handsome guy to hang around and so you conned me into going to your games and watching football with you."

Tiffany tried not to smile.

House looked her in the eye. "I like you. And I don't like too many people."

Her eyes were wary, but there was a flicker of hope.

"Your aunt and I, that has nothing to do with me and you. We're friends. I want to stay your friend. But only if you want to be mine."

She nodded tentatively.

He held out his hand. She took it and they shook.

When Casey entered the kitchen, she was shocked to see Tiffany and House there laughing together. Her niece still seemed a bit wary around her, but she was dealing with the revelation. In truth, the girl had faced so many changes in her life during the last year, she was starting to become immune to them.

And for Tiffany, this latest change had started her mind going in a new direction. A direction that would end up with her in a real family again.

"You guys seem okay." Casey said.

"Tiffany and I got it all figured out." He said watching her reaction.

She smiled at him and said, "You can call me K Mart."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

After House went home, Casey sat down with Tiffany to find out exactly what she was feeling.

"Are you upset with me?" She asked her niece.

Tiffany stared at the table. "A little." she admitted.

Casey nodded. "Okay, tell me why. Is it because I'm having sex with Greg?"

"A little." She said again.

"Because we were in your parents' bed?"

Tiffany looked up, then back down. "A little."

"Talk to me, honey."

In a small voice she said, "I thought it was Daddy and Mom there."

"Tif, they're gone."

"I know. But sometimes I dream about them. And when I do, they're in their room. And everything is good."

"Aren't things good with us, pumpkin?"

Tiffany nodded, then looked at her aunt. "I love you and you're the best. But sometimes I just miss them."

Casey got on her knees in front of the girl. She put her arms around her and held her. "I miss them, too. But we have each other. And we always will."

"I know." Then she smiled. "And we have Dr. Greg too!"

Casey smiled back, but a little warning bell went off in her head.

Her past relationships had been less than successful. She would meet guys, hook up quickly and it would end just as quickly. She was never sure if it was the guy's fault or hers. But it always ended.

When she moved to Princeton, she put romance aside to concentrate on her niece. By the time she met House, she had gone a long time without sex. So even though she had tried to put off having sex with him, her attraction for him was too strong.

She knew it was only a matter of time before he tired of her. She was trying to be very nonchalant about their relationship so that she would be able to handle its eventual demise and still keep him in their lives for Tiffany's sake.

But Tiffany had other ideas.

A few days later, Casey said to House, "Why don't you invite your friend Dr. Wilson to come over for dinner?"

"What for? You guys already met. I assumed he just comes by so that you can critique my performance."

She ignored his comment and continued. "Why don't we try for Friday? See if he's free."

"He's always free. No one would pay him for it."

"Good, then tell him about seven."

Wilson arrived at the house on Friday with a bottle of wine and a bouquet of flowers for Casey and a new video game for Tiffany.

As he was introduced to the girl, he told her, "Someone told me you like video games. This one just came out so I thought you might not have it. If you do, you can return it."

"I don't have it! Thank you, Dr. Wilson."

House snatched it out of her hand and headed toward the family room with it. "Yeah, thank you, Jimmy. Saved me fifty bucks."

Wilson watched him limp off with it, Tiffany on his heels and shook his head.

"He told you to buy that for her, didn't he?" Casey asked.

"Yes, he said she really wanted that game."

"Well, she did, but so did he."

"Figures."

Casey laughed. "Well, thank you anyway, Dr. Wilson. And for the wine and flowers as well."

"Please, it's James."

"Okay, James."

They made some small talk for a bit and then she called House and Tiffany in to dinner and they all sat down.

Casey served the meal and said to Wilson, "I hope you like lasagna."

"I love it."

"I perfected the pasta dishes when I was a struggling actress in New York."

"House mentioned that you worked on Broadway. Were you in anything I might know?"

"Mostly chorus and understudy roles. But occasionally I had a larger role." She named some of the shows she'd been in.

"Wait, I saw that show. It was terrific!"

"Well, I was only a dancer, but it was a good show."

Tiffany piped in. "Tell him about A Chorus Line."

"What about A Chorus Line?" Wilson asked.

Tiffany told him about her aunt's casting in the show and that she had to leave it.

"What part did you have? Cassie?"

"God, I wish! No, I was going to be Sheila."

"Sheila?" he thought for a moment. "At the Ballet Sheila?"

"Yes."

During this exchange, House had been looking back and forth between them. He finally spoke. "What the hell are you two talking about? What's at the ballet?"

"It's the big song that character sings. It's great." Wilson told him.

House rolled his eyes. "Figures you would know that."

"What's wrong with enjoying the occasional Broadway musical?"

"Sounds like more than occasional to me. If you two burst out in song, I'm out of here."

Wilson ignored him and turned back to Casey. "It must have been exciting. Living in New York, performing on the stage."

"It was." She looked at Tiffany. "But some things are even better."

Tiffany smiled at her, then looked at House and smiled some more. She sighed and went back to her meal.

Wilson watched all of this, thinking, oh boy, House has got himself caught here. If only he'd want to be.

"The lyrics to that song are really sad. Have you ever sung it for House?"

"No." She said.

Tiffany got excited. "Sing it, Aunt Casey, sing it. You do it awesome."

Casey shook her head. "No, I can't."

"I'd really like to hear it."

Casey glanced at House. He shrugged his shoulders. "Go ahead."

"There's no music."

Tiffany jumped up. "I'll put on the CD and turn the speaker with the singing down low." She ran to do just that.

Casey sighed, 'Well, if you guys really want to hear it…"

She stood up and took a deep breath. When the music started, she began singing:

_Daddy always thought that he married beneath him_

_That's what he said, that's what he said._

_When he proposed he informed my mother_

_He was probably her very last chance_

_And though she was twenty-two,_

_Though she was twenty-two,_

_Though she was twenty-two_

_She married him._

_Her voice was strong and clear, stage trained to enunciate and project, but full of emotion as well._

_Life with my dad wasn't ever a picnic,_

_More like a come as you are_

_When I was five, I remember my mother_

_Dug earrings out of the car_

_We knew that they weren't hers, but it wasn't_

_Something you'd want to discuss_

_He wasn't warm, well, not to her,_

_Well, not to us._

(Her voice got softer and even more emotional.)

_But everything was beautiful at the ballet_

_Graceful men lift lovely girls in white._

_Everything was beautiful at the ballet._

_I was happy at the ballet._

(Spoken: That's when I started class.)

_Up a steep and very narrow staircase_

_To the voice like a metronome_

_Up a steep and very narrow staircase_

_It wasn't paradise, it wasn't paradise_

_It wasn't paradise, but it was home._

Her voice trailed off. The other three people were totally still, entranced by her song.

Finally, Wilson broke the silence.

"That was amazing!"

Tiffany chimed in as well, "Wow, that was great!"

House didn't say anything, but his eyes were glowing as he looked at her.

"Anyway, that was fun, but let's move on." Casey said, turning off the music.

After a bit, Wilson went home and Tiffany went to bed. House and Casey retreated to the master bedroom and after some kisses and cuddling, House lay back on the bed and turned to look at her.

"Was that you?" he asked her.

"Was what me?"

"That song. Did you have that unhappy childhood that led you to the ballet?"

She stared at him for a moment, then said. "Not really. I mean, my parents loved us and each other. They didn't have a lot of money, but they tried to give us whatever we needed. They were good people, and very supportive."

"But."

"I didn't say but."

"Yes, you did. Just not with words."

She sighed. "I always felt like an outsider. They loved education. They didn't have the chance to go to college themselves, so they really struggled to make sure we did. Rick, my brother, was really smart and ended up with a scholarship to Princeton. I was good in school, but I didn't care about it like he did. I just wanted to dance and sing. This is probably something you wouldn't understand, but my parents did not support my dreams."

House laughed.

"What's so funny?" she asked him.

"Why would you think I wouldn't understand that?"

"You're a doctor! My parents would have had an orgasm in front of me if I had told them I wanted to be a doctor. Or a lawyer. Or a teacher. Or anything 'serious'."

He smiled. "My dad was a Marine, career military. We spent my childhood traveling from base to base."

"So you understand how it feels to be an outsider. But I had it in my home as well."

"Again, my dad was career military. There was no other life as far as he was concerned."

She looked at him, then realization struck. "He wanted you to go into the military as well. Yeah, you don't exactly seem like the military type."

"Not just go into it. He ran our house like his military unit."

"And he didn't want you to be a doctor?"

"He didn't want me to do anything that wasn't what he chose for me."

She smiled at him. "So you do understand."

"I do."

She snuggled closer to him. This was good, finally a guy who understood how she felt and what she'd experienced. This guy was really worming his way into her heart.

Then a sobering thought hit her. He was worming his way into her heart. But how long would he be around? In her romantic experience, guys usually didn't last too long. She knew she'd better protect herself from getting too close to him or she'd end up in trouble.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

It was June and both House and Tiffany were celebrating birthdays. Casey thought it would be fun if they spent the day in New York and saw a show. Neither she nor her niece had been to the city since the tragedy had happened. Casey felt it was time for both of them and thought if House went along with them, the day would be really special.

At first House resisted. A Broadway musical? He really wasn't into that, but Casey promised him it would be cool. She also promised him some killer birthday sex when they came home.

House thought that maybe a musical wouldn't be too bad. A few extra Vicodin could get him through it.

Casey called some friends in the city to see if they could get her some tickets. She found that her friend Raoul was a dancer in 'In the Heights', the exciting new musical about the people living in a Washington Heights neighborhood. It was top contender for the 2008 Tony Award. Since they were going on June 14, the day before the awards, the city would be full of theater people, very exciting.

She allowed Tiffany to invite a friend to come along and the two girls talked and giggled the entire car ride to the city. When House had been told there would be another twelve year old with them, he almost backed out. But then Casey reminded him about the birthday sex promise and he relented.

He found it wasn't quite as bad as he thought it would be. Tiffany was so occupied with her friend that she didn't bother the adults very much and so Casey and House were able to carry on a decent conversation and, because the girls had their own MP3 players, listen to their own music.

They arrived in the city around mid-morning. They met up with some of Casey's friends, including Raoul, who handed over the theater tickets. After a noisy, early luncheon reunion at a favorite deli, the friends departed. Most of them were in shows and had afternoon matinees to perform in. Casey watched them leave wistfully. House saw the look in her eye, but kept quiet.

There was still time before the two o'clock show, so they walked slowly around the theater district, Casey pointing out important landmarks to her companions. They took it easy and rested whenever House needed to.

Casey had convinced them that they HAD to have some of Junior's Devil's Food Cheesecake, a wonderful confection of a layer of chocolate cake, topped with fudge frosting, then topped with a New York cheesecake, more frosting, another layer of chocolate cake and the entire thing covered with fudge frosting.

House thought that sounded wonderful, so they made their way to Junior's Times Square location on 44th Street. They indulged in the decadent cake, House finishing whatever the girls were unable to. Then, the four of them headed towards 46th Street where the Richard Rodgers Theatre was showing 'In the Heights'.

As they passed 45th Street, Casey couldn't help herself, she peered down the street where the marquee on the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre at # 236 proudly announced A Chorus Line. She stopped for a moment to stare, a faraway look in her eyes.

When she stopped walking, House turned to look at her and realized she had stopped and was staring at something. He followed her gaze and saw the marquee, then looked at her and was moved by the look on her face. He waited a beat, then moved next to her and took her hand.

She looked up at him. He knew there was nothing he could say to her. She was watching her dreams fall apart in front of her and she knew she couldn't reclaim them. If he had been in her place, there wouldn't be anything to make him not want it. He squeezed her hand once, then glanced at the young girls walking just ahead of them.

She looked at the girls, back at the theater once more, then sighed and started walking again. She forced herself to not dwell on what she had lost and instead focus on what she had, including this man beside her who seemed to somehow understand what she was feeling.

The show was wonderful. The infectious mix of hip hop, Latin rhythms and traditional music was perfect for the story that was happy, funny, sweet, sad and poignant. They left the theater feeling wonderful. Cast members were outside, signing Playbills. Tiffany and her friend insisted on standing there and meeting Lin-Manuel Miranda, the composer and star of the show. He appeared and signed both of the girls' programs and Casey took a picture of them with him.

After they were finished there, they felt it was still early for dinner. Plus the cheesecake was still filling them. Casey took them to the huge Virgin Records store on Times Square and they shopped for new CD's. The girls picked out some that they liked and House found quite a few himself.

Shopping done, they went to a Thai restaurant on 48th that Casey liked and ate a wonderful dinner. One more leisurely walk to work off the meal and they headed home.

The girls were much more subdued on the way home, tired out from the exciting day and eventually fell asleep in the back seat.

Casey took a deep breath and said to House, "Thanks."

"Don't thank me yet. We haven't gone to bed yet."

"You were really sweet today."

He gave her a look and said, "I'm never sweet."

She smiled. "Okay, if you say so."

He looked out the window for a few moments, then said, "I know it sucks."

"What?"

"Not being on that stage and performing."

She shrugged. "It doesn't matter."

"Yes, it does matter. You keep saying it doesn't and I get that you don't want the kid to know how much you miss it. But I saw your face today when you saw your friends and especially when you saw that marquee. You wanted it so bad you could taste it."

"Yeah, but I can't have it. And I wouldn't give up Tiffany to have it anyway. So what's the point?"

"The point is to admit it."

"What good would that do me? It's not going to make me miss it less."

"You just need to be honest with yourself or you're never going to get over it and move on."

"That's not happening anyway."

"Fine, then live like that. It's none of my business."

Of course, that usually didn't stop him, but he could tell by her body language that it was best if he dropped the subject now. Especially if he wanted that birthday sex.

He watched her for a bit, wondering why he cared whether she moved on or not. For some reason he did and he really didn't understand it. And he was a little afraid to examine it too much.


	10. Chapter 10

Sorry it's taken me so long to update. I actually have most of this written, as I've been posting it on the Fox board. But I've been very busy. I do promise to give the readers here more updates. Thanks for your patience!

Chapter 10

"My aunt is having sex with Doctor Greg." Tiffany told her friends in an excited whisper.

"Really?" Judy asked. "Did you see them doing it?"

"No, they were just in bed together, but they were asleep."

"I don't want to hear about this." Terry said.

"Why not?" Nicole asked. "It's a perfectly natural human function. Like going to the bathroom or eating."

The other three girls stared at her.

"Well, that's what my mom said. She has sex with men all the time since she and my dad got divorced." Nicole told them with as sophisticated an air as she could manage.

"I really don't want to hear about this!" Terry said.

"Well, I don't want to see them or think about the sex part all that much," Tiffany said, "But I've got another idea."

"What?" the girls asked in unison.

"I want them to get married. Then _Doctor_ Greg would be _Uncle_ Greg."

"That would be so awesome!" Judy said.

"I love weddings." Terry said.

"I don't know," Nicole said. "My mom says marriage is terribly overrated."

"I don't care." Tiffany told them. "I want them to be married. Then we would be a real family." And I'd have a dad again, she thought.

***********************************************************************************

Since school was now finished for the year and Tiffany was home during the day, House and Casey had to abandon their noontime sex. But since sleeping together the entire night was even better than lunchtime sex, they didn't complain too much.

Wilson and House were having lunch in Wilson's office. House had been seeing Casey for almost four months. Wilson had spent many evenings at the Landers house with his friend and the Landers women. He enjoyed their company. He also thought Casey was very good for House. But how to tell the man that without angering him?

"Are you and Tiffany still friends?"

House looked up. "Why shouldn't we be?"

Wilson shrugged. "Because she sees herself as matchmaker."

"Matchmaker?"

"Sure. Haven't you seen her watch you and Casey? She's got you picked out as uncle material."

Wilson took a bite of his sandwich, waiting for the explosion. Or at least for House to shoot him down.

When House remained quiet, the younger doctor looked up to see House staring at his cane. There was a contemplative look on his face.

"What?" Wilson asked.

House murmured something Wilson couldn't hear. "What was that?"

Without looking up, House said again, "I've thought about it."

"About her matchmaking?"

House shook his head. "About marriage."

Wilson sat up straight. "You've thought about marriage? About marrying Casey?"

"No, about marrying Tiffany. Of course, I'll have to wait about six years. Unless we move to West Virginia."

"House…?"

House nodded. "Yeah, Casey."

"My God, this is…huge. Did you buy a ring? Are you going to propose?"

"No. And I don't know. I just said I've thought about it. That's all."

Wilson looked at the puppy dog expression on House's face. "You're in love with her!"

House shrugged. "Nah. It's just the sex. I mean, the sex is fantastic. Where I am going to find someone that flexible? I figured she could keep going for a long time, so…"

Wilson smiled. "You're in love with her. House, there's nothing wrong with being in love. And there's nothing wrong with wanting to marry her."

"I don't even know if she wants to."

"Have you told her you love her?"

House shook his head.

"Don't you think that would be a good first step? If she feels the same, then you can move forward."

"She's still confused about the whole giving up the theater thing. I don't think she knows what she wants to do right now. Not the best time to make life changing decisions."

"Maybe that's what she needs to end the confusion."

House shrugged again. "It's just something I thought about. Doesn't mean I'm going to do it."

"Oh, well, why should you marry a woman you're in love with and that you also happen to be sleeping with? Especially if you have to go to all the trouble of telling her first. No, your way is much better. Just keep it a big secret. Everyone will be much happier that way."

"Glad you see it my way." House snagged the rest of Wilson's sandwich and left the office.

Wilson sat back, smiling and shook his head. House was in love. And he wanted to marry her. And they would be good together. After all of his experience, Wilson figured he knew a thing or two about marriage.

*****************************************************************************************

Marriage, historically, was less about emotion and more about business and practicality. You married the person who could best help you in your chosen life.

A farmer wouldn't marry a society girl. He'd choose a strong, healthy, hard-working woman who could help him on the farm.

A prince wouldn't marry an uneducated servant (Cinderella notwithstanding).

Sometimes you married to improve your social position. Or to join two prominent families. Sometimes both.

That was what Margaret "Muffy" Pendleton had done. As the younger daughter from an old money family, she knew where her priorities lay. Marry well and relax for the rest of your life.

She had carefully weighed her options and chosen Thad Pendleton. His family was very old money (older than hers). Most of the men had been in politics in some capacity. Several mayors, senators and one governor.

Not like her older sister Bitsy. Or Beth, as she preferred. Whereas Muffy had gone to college to make connections, Beth had actually gone to get an education.

Still, Bitsy, er, Beth had gone to Princeton. So she could have hooked up with someone from the right set.

But not Beth. She had found the poor guy, there on scholarship.

Not that Muffy objected to slumming with the lower class. They were exciting lovers. She wondered what her husband's mistresses saw in him. He was boring in bed.

But Beth didn't just fool around with him, she had married Rick Landers. And they bought a small house in the suburbs. Eventually, he started making a decent salary, but just barely. Still, Beth insisted on working.

And then there were the kids. Her foolish sister had actually gone ahead and had THREE of them! The whole thought of it disgusted Muffy.

After the first, a boy, was born, Muffy had talked to Beth, hoping the whole thing would have disillusioned her enough to leave the guy. But no, Beth was ecstatic. She loved her son and her husband.

And two years later, she'd done it again, had another baby, another son. Muffy assumed that would be more than enough.

When she gave birth to a girl a few years later, Muffy gave up on her sister. She never even bothered to visit and meet her niece, Tiffany.

It didn't surprise her when her sister died. She knew she would come to a sad end, choosing a life like that when she had so much promise.

Muffy only went to funerals when someone important died or when important people would be there. She knew there would be no one worth impressing at Beth and Rick Landers' funerals. Especially since both sons had died with them. It would just be sad. Muffy did not like being sad.

And then there would be that girl. She would be crying all over everything. Muffy really didn't want to deal with that. It wasn't as though the child would need her. She had HIS sister, who was some sort of actress.

Lord, the entire family was so disgraceful. It was best if she just distanced herself from them. Best for all concerned.

Because Thad himself had political aspirations. Senator now, maybe even president someday. They didn't need the black sheep of the family ruining those plans.

Muffy was content to put the memories of her sister away. And she never even thought about the child.

Until Thad's campaign manager brought her up.

They were sitting at lunch in their Long Island home. Jack Nelson had managed several successful political campaigns and he promised Thad's would be as well.

But there were a few things they had to work out before it began.

"I want to know about any skeletons in your closet right now. I can spin anything, but I need to know about them. No surprises. Then, we need to make sure your family profile is sound."

"Our families are excellent." Muffy said proudly.

"No, not talking about that. I mean the two of you. You don't have any kids, do you?"

"No, we don't." Thad told him.

"Any chance of having one in the next year?"

"NO." Thad and Muffy said together.

"Okay, okay, we'll have to work something else out." He looked at the notes in front of him. "What's this? You had a sister who died last year?"

"Yes, my sister Bitsy."

"And she left a daughter?"

"Apparently. Bitsy and I lost touch."

"What happened to her daughter?" Jack asked.

"I believe she's with her aunt on her father's side."

Jack studied the notes some more in silence, and then looked at both of them. "Okay, we're going to kill two birds with one stone here. We're going to head off possible negative publicity before it happens and we're going to improve you personal image."

Thad was confused. "How are we going to do that?"

"By suing for custody of your niece, Tiffany Landers.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

The young man at the door was well-dressed and well-groomed. He asked if she was Ms Casey Landers. She said yes, but Casey didn't know what he wanted with her until he handed her the large envelope. Then he nodded and left.

Casey stared at the official looking letter that he had handed her. The return address in the corner said 'Sanborn and Hess, Attorneys at Law.' She wondered why a lawyer would be sending her a letter.

That evening, when House arrived, he saw the letter sitting on the kitchen counter.

"What's this?" he asked her.

"Nothing." She said.

"It looks important. It looks all lawyerly and everything."

"It's not." She picked it up and threw it into the trash can and continued to put dinner on the table. "Come on, dinner's ready. Tif's eating at Judy's and going right to softball practice."

He didn't go to the table. Instead he opened the trash can and removed the letter. He pulled it out of the envelope and started to read it.

"What are you doing?" she said in a startled voice. "Don't read that! First of all, it's mine. It's a federal offense to read someone else's mail. Secondly, it's garbage. That's why I threw it away."

"Well, if it's garbage, you won't care if I take it." He walked away from her, reading as he did. The letter said:

_Dear Ms Casey Landers:_

_Re: Tiffany Landers_

_We have been retained by Thadford and Margaret Pendleton to represent their interest in the above matter regarding the custody of Tiffany Landers. Our clients have requested that we petition the probate court for a hearing regarding the guardianship of said minor. Inasmuch as Mrs. Pendleton is the sister of the minor child's deceased mother, Elizabeth Harris Landers, she and her husband, Thadford Pendleton, will be requesting that the court award them full custody. We believe it is in the best interest of everyone involved if this matter can be resolved without the need for a court trial. We ask that you contact us within ten days to set a mediation to hopefully reach a mutual agreement regarding said custody. If you retain legal representation, please have them contact us as soon as possible._

_If you should have any questions…_

House stopped reading and looked at Casey. "Who are these people? Why do they want the kid?"

"I told you it's nothing."

"It's an official letter! It's important. Casey, what's going on here?"

Casey sighed. "It's bullshit. Muffy and Thad Pendleton are self-absorbed yuppies. There is no way that they are taking Tiffany from me. It's probably just a whim that ol' Muffy had."

"Who the hell is she?"

"Tiffany's aunt. Her mom's sister."

House was stunned. He hadn't realized that the child had any other relatives besides Casey.

"If she's her aunt, she might have a claim."

"My brother and sister-in-law, Tiffany's parents, named me as guardian. Besides, she never even met Tiffany. She hadn't talked to Beth in years, never came when Tif was born and didn't even come to her only sister's funeral. No one is ever going to give Tiffany to her."

House looked at Casey, then back at the letter. It was not only very official looking, it was very expensive. The paper was high quality and the address of the law firm was in Manhattan. This wasn't a fly by night operation.

"Do Muffy and Thad have money?"

"Yeah, oodles of it. Beth came from a rich family. Thank God, she was normal. She hated all the snobbery in her family and just wanted to get away from it. She was a good person. But her sister? I met her once. What a b!tch! And the guy she married is from an even richer family."

"Casey, these people have money and they've hired expensive New York lawyers. This is serious."

"They don't have a case."

"They have money. Sometimes that means more. You need to get a lawyer."

"I can't afford a lawyer."

"Can you afford to lose Tiffany?"

"I'm not going to lose her. No judge will give her to them."

"You don't know that. Judges can be strange people. Get a lawyer. I'll pay for it."

"You will not. I don't need a lawyer."

"Are you going to ignore this? Because I think they'll drag you to court anyway."

"Of course I'm not going to ignore it. I'll go to court and tell them that Rick and Beth named me her guardian, Muffy has never met or tried to contact Tiffany and that Tiffany wants to stay with me."

House lost it then. He yelled at her, "Are you deranged? Or do you think this is one of your Broadway musicals? I can guarantee that if you burst into song, the judge isn't going to join in and rule in your favor."

Casey yelled back at him, "I know what I'm doing."

"No, you don't. You're burying your head in the sand and thinking this is just going to go away."

"No, I'm not."

"Yes, you are. It's what you do whenever you don't want to face something."

"I do not. And I don't want to talk about this."

House was exasperated. "See? That's exactly what I mean!"

"That's enough. I told you, I know what I'm doing."

"You're an idiot!"

"I must be, I'm standing here arguing with you."

"Well, at least if you're arguing about it, you're not ignoring it."

"Why do you even care? This is none of your business. She's my niece. It has nothing to do with you."

House stared at her in silence for a few moments, then said, "Yeah, I guess not. After all, the kid means nothing to me. Why should I care if she goes to live with some people she doesn't even know?"

"She's not going anywhere."

"Keep believing it. Maybe all your wishes will magically come true."

"Stop patronizing me. You don't know anything about it. And you have no right to yell at me about it."

"I guess not. Doesn't look like I have any rights here at all. You know, I think I should just go home."

"Maybe you should." She said tightly.

He headed out the door and onto his motorcycle. She refused to watch him leave until she heard the bike start. Then she ran to the door and called out, "Greg!"

But he didn't hear her and rode off.

As she watched him ride away, she thought, I do not need this right now. She didn't believe the custody claim would amount to anything, but she knew it was going to be a bother. She couldn't worry about Greg House's feelings.

And anyway she always knew this relationship would not last. Why was she surprised that he left? No one ever stayed with her for long.

She walked back into the house, alone.


	12. Chapter 12

**Sorry for the delay in posting! Life's been crazy. But I appreciate the comments, especially VisualIDentificationZeta (since you're my most avid reader!) and also all the rest of you who have added this story as a favorite. I do promise to be more vigilant on my posting.**

Chapter 12

House stayed away from Casey and Tiffany for the next few weeks, which made four people miserable. Besides House, Casey and Tiffany, Wilson had to bear the brunt of House's misery.

Tiffany was probably the most upset. All her plans were now going to naught since House and her aunt seemed to have broken up. She pestered Casey daily on why. But the only answers she got were "because" and "it's not your concern."

It was hard for Casey because not only was she dealing with the loss of House in her life and Tiffany's constant questioning about him, but the hearing was coming up and she still had not told Tiffany about the custody claim.

Casey hadn't buried her head in the sand as House thought. She knew she had to respond to the claim. She met with the Pendletons' attorneys, believing she would be able to dismiss it with the facts.

She showed them her brother's will and the guardianship papers he had drawn up, naming her as guardian of Tiffany.

"So," she said, "You can see that my brother and his wife set this up with me taking care of my niece. I have no problem with Muf, uh, Margaret visiting and getting to know Tiffany. After all, Beth regretted that she and her sister had fallen out of touch."

She smiled, and took a deep breath, relived that she had said her piece and this would be over.

Unfortunately, she was wrong.

"Ms Landers, our clients believe that had Mrs. Landers not been influenced by her husband to break contact with her sister, the child would have been left in the care of Mr. and Mrs. Pendleton."

"No, she wouldn't. And Beth was not influenced by my brother. He encouraged her to contact her family. Her sister was not interested in renewing their relationship. Beth tried. Muffy didn't. But I was the one who watched Tiffany grow. I was the one who spent weekends with her. I am the one who knows what she likes, what she hates, everything. I'm the one that belongs with her!"

Her voice had risen at the end and she expected a reaction from the lawyers. She didn't get one. They looked at her blankly, no expression on their faces. There was silence, and then Mr. Hess cleared his throat.

"Yes, well, Ms Landers, be that as it may, our clients, as I have stated, believe the child's interests would be better served if she lived with them. So unless you are willing to sign over custody now, we will set a date for the formal hearing."

Casey was not willing and the date was set. She knew she should tell Tiffany, but she didn't know how. Her niece had been so happy. Even her argument with House that had kept him away didn't really bring the kid down. She still called him to tell him about her games and what was happening in her life.

And, with the help of her friends, she came up with a plan to get them back together.

"He should just say he's sorry." Judy told her. "When my mom and dad fight, my mom says if he would just say he's sorry everything would be okay."

"I don't even know what happened." Tiffany complained. "How can I tell him to say he's sorry? Neither of them will tell me!"

"He's just wrong." Nicole said.

Tiffany was perplexed. "How do you know that?"

"My mom says men are always wrong. At least the men she goes out with. She gets mad and they send her flowers and apologize and then she sleeps with them again."

Terry smiled. "I love flowers. Especially daisies. They're so pretty and friendly."

"If you could get Doctor Greg to send your aunt flowers, they might make up."

Tiffany shook her head. "He's not the type. He's never brought her flowers. I don't think I could get him to do it."

"My mom sent herself flowers once." Nicole said.

"Why would she do that?" Judy asked.

"Because she wanted to make a man jealous and when he thought she got flowers from another man, he was all sweet and nice to her. Until she dumped him."

"Well, that's not going to help her. He's not there to get jealous and her aunt isn't going to send herself flowers." Terry told her.

But Tiffany was thinking. "No, but what if Aunt Casey got flowers from him with a card that said he was sorry?"

Judy was confused. "But you said he wouldn't send her flowers!"

"HE wouldn't. But she could still get some. She wouldn't have to know they weren't from him." She smiled contently, already counting how much money she had saved.

When Casey saw the lovely bouquet of daisies, she was surprised. She couldn't imagine who would send her flowers. When she read the card, she was even more surprised. Greg House sent her flowers? And wrote a card saying 'I'm sorry'?

She supposed that since he made the first move, she ought to make the second one. She called him at work.

House was shocked to hear Casey's voice. He didn't think she would give in first.

"Hi." He said in greeting.

"Greg, I… well, I know it was hard for you, but I want you to know that I appreciate it."

Okay, he thought, this is strange. She's thanking me for telling her what to do?

"Well, it wasn't that hard."

"And they're beautiful."

"What are?"

"The flowers."

"What flowers?"

"The flowers that you sent…oh." Casey suddenly realized what was happening.

"I didn't send…oh." House got it too. The two of them were silent for a few moments, before they both started to laugh.

"I think I smell a plot." House said.

"She's been pestering me about why we weren't speaking."

"Yeah, me too."

They were silent again for awhile.

Finally he spoke. "She's begged me to go to her softball game."

"Yeah, it's the playoff."

"Maybe we can talk there?"

"I guess so."

Casey found herself at the game, once again waiting for House to come. But this time she knew he would come. He wouldn't let Tiffany down. She stood against the fence surrounding the softball field, watching her niece play short stop. She heard a thump, thump on the sidewalk around the field and turned to see House approaching.

God, she thought, he looked great. Maybe it was just that she hadn't seen him in several weeks, but God!

He joined her at the fence.

"Hi." He said.

"Hi." She replied.

He saw Tiffany and gave her a quick wave, smiling briefly at the joy on her face.

"Did you ask FTD about her delivery?"

"Yes. At first she tried to pretend she didn't know anything about it, but then she admitted it. She said she just wanted to get us to start talking again."

"Where'd she get the idea of the flowers and the card?"

"From her friends."

"You need to check out these kids."

Casey smiled.

"So, what's new?" he asked her.

She sighed. "The custody hearing is next week."

"Have you told her?"

"No."

"Don't you think…"

"Please, Greg, can we not talk about this right now?"

He opened his mouth to say something else, but she interrupted. "I'm not trying to avoid it. Just, right now, at this moment, can we talk about, think about something else?"

He saw the raw emotion on her face and nodded his head. They stood in silence watching the game. Then he reached out and took her hand. She squeezed his in return.

Tiffany, in the dugout, breathed a sigh of relief. Everything would be alright now.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

After the game, the three of them went home. Tiffany was beside herself with excitement. Since House was back, she resumed her campaign to bring them together. She even pretended to be tired to go to bed early and leave them alone together.

Which of course they figured out.

When she left, they sat on the sofa in the family room, a little unsure of what to do next. Casey wanted so much to touch him, but she was unsure. House wanted just to hold her and feel her close to him.

Casey decided conversation might help things. "So, how's work?"

"People get sick, people get better. Same old, same old."

She smiled. "Only you would put what you do in such simplistic terms."

"It is simple. Either I cure them or I don't."

He looked at her as he spoke and realized how beautiful her eyes were. She sighed as she stared into his. He pulled her close to him. She fell into his arms and he wrapped them around her.

"I missed you." She told him.

"Me too." He said in a whisper.

She closed her eyes and rested against the warmth of his chest. Before she knew what was happening, tears were running down her face.

"Hey," he said, alarmed, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Everything. I should never have fought with you. I really could have used you around here the last few weeks. Especially, after that meeting with the lawyer. I don't know, maybe I should have gotten a lawyer.'

"It's not too late."

"Yes, it is. The hearing's in a few days and I don't have the money."

"I can…"

"No." she told him emphatically. "I will not take money from you. I'm sure it will be okay. I just need to vent a bit, is that alright?"

"Sure, vent away." He said, but thought she was wrong for not getting a lawyer. But he wasn't going to argue with her now, tonight. There were other things on his mind at the moment.

She told him what happened at the lawyer's office and that she had to go to the hearing.

"Do you want me to be there?" he asked.

"You would do that?" She was amazed.

"If you want."

"That might be good, yeah, thanks." She snuggled closer to him, but he pushed her a little away from him. Then he bent his head and kissed her, gently at first, making sure she was still interested. She pulled his head down as she kissed him back. Not long after, they were making their way upstairs.

They fell onto the bed, lips and hands all over each other, clothes discarded in the need to feel skin to skin. When he filled her, she sighed in relief and so did he. This was necessary. This was right.

As she lay in his arms afterwards, she said quietly, "Would you stay here tomorrow?"

"What's tomorrow?"

"I need to tell Tif about the custody hearing. Could you be here when I do?"

"Sure."

The next morning when Tiffany came down for breakfast and found House still there, she was beside herself with joy. And then when Casey said they had something to tell her, she just knew all her dreams had come true. They were going to tell her they were getting married.

Casey sat next to her on the sofa. House was in the chair watching them.

"Tif, do you remember your mom talking about her sister, Muffy?"

Tiffany was confused. What did her mother's sister have to do with them getting married?

"Yeah, I never met her and she didn't talk to mom for a long time. Tell me what you're going to tell me."

"Well, that's sort of what I need to tell you."

Huh? Tiffany thought. She just stared at her aunt. Casey looked at House. He nodded and she took a deep breath.

"Your aunt, Muffy, uh, Margaret and her husband want to get to know you."

"Why?"

"Because you're her sister's child and her sister is gone."

"But she didn't care about mom. She never saw her and she didn't even come to mom's funeral."

"I know, but now she wants to see you."

Tiffany shrugged. "Okay, I'll see her. It's not a big deal."

Casey looked at House again. He just stared back at her, silently telling her what she should do.

"Honey, she doesn't just want to see you. She wants you to visit her, to stay with her."

"I don't know if I want to stay with her. We'll see after I meet her. Is that it?"

Casey hesitated again. "Not quite. Uh, see…"

She wasn't sure how to continue. She looked at House and he blew out a breath.

"Oh, for God's sake!" he said. "Just tell her."

"I, uh, …" Casey stammered.

"This is the way it is, K. Your aunt, the one who ignored you your entire life is suing for custody."

Tiffany was confused. "What does that mean?"

"She wants you to live with her and away from the aunt who's loved you for your entire life." He told her.

That aunt had a tear sliding down her face, which she quickly wiped away.

"Really? She wants to do that?" Tiffany asked.

"Really she does."

Tiffany was upset now. "I don't want to live with her. I like living here. I want to be with Aunt Casey and with you."

Casey spoke now. "You're not going anywhere, I promise. She's not going to win. You're staying right here with us." She folded the girl in a hug.

House was well aware that she had said "with us." He hoped that meant she was thinking about a future with him. Because more and more, he was thinking about a future with her.

The next day, the court appointed psychologist met with Tiffany to do her evaluation.

Afterwards, Tiffany got together with her friends to tell them what happened.

"It was creepy. She kept asking me all this personal stuff. Then she asked about Doctor Greg and she asked if he ever tried to touch me or anything."

"Has he?" Nicole asked.

"Nicole!" Terry said. "That's disgusting!"

"Of course not!" Tiffany told her. "He's my friend. And really, really cool. He would never do anything like that."

"Well, you just never know."

Judy looked at Nicole. "Did anyone ever do that to you?"

"One of my mom's boyfriends. Well, he tried. But I screamed just like my mom told me to. And she had him arrested."

"Wow." The girls said in unison and were silent for a moment. Then Judy turned to Tiffany.

"So what did you tell the psychologist?"

"I told her that Doctor Greg would never do that. I told her how much fun we have and how he comes to my games and how happy we all are together. And how I love being with him and Aunt Casey. So now she can tell my other aunt that and I can stay right here."

"What if you don't?" Judy asked her.

"What if I don't what?"

"What if you don't get to stay? What if they make you go live with the other aunt? What then?"

All of the girls looked at each other. They were a unit and couldn't imagine life without one of them.

Terry's eyes started to fill with tears. "I don't want you to go, Tif."

"Me neither." Judy added.

Nicole held her lips in a hard line, unwilling or afraid to speak. They all looked at her.

"Me neither." She said finally.

"Guys, I'm not going anywhere! Don't worry."

And as much as Tiffany tried to believe it, there was a sliver of doubt.


	14. Chapter 14

**So sorry for the delay in posting this. I know there are many of you who have put this story on alert and I know how frustrating it is to not get any update. All I can say is RL is kicking butt right now. I promise to try to be more prompt with the updates.**

Chapter 14

As she looked around the hearing room, Casey wondered who all these people were. She saw Mr. Hess, the lawyer from the mediation and his associates. And sitting with him was a woman who was perfectly dressed in a designer suit, with her hair in perfect order. Even though it had been many years since she'd seen her, Casey recognized Muffy Pendleton. And she assumed the smug looking man sitting behind her was her husband Thad. There was another man sitting with them and whispering to Thad. He was slick looking and she wondered who he was.

There was no jury, just some court staff. In the back of the room, against the wall, House sat. When their eyes met, he gave her a brief smile.

One of Hess's associates walked up to her and said, "Ms Landers? Do you have legal counsel with you today?"

"No."

The woman smiled tightly. "Alright, well, you need to sit over here."

She indicated the other table. Casey sat, placing the folder she carried with all the official papers, including her brother's will and life insurance policies, in front of her. The lawyers had told her to bring the documents along to this hearing.

Looking around at the four lawyers on the Pendletons' side of the room and at all of the official people performing their duties, she began to think that maybe she should have gotten a lawyer. But she just didn't believe she could really lose this.

Since the Pendletons were bringing the case, they were permitted to go first. Muffy sat her perfect little self up there and began talking about her sister.

"Bitsy and I were complete opposites as people, but we were still very close. I was so happy when she found Rick and married him. He was truly the love of her life. And when her children were born, well, I was as excited as she was."

Bull, Casey thought. Mufffy hadn't given a fig for her sister's kids.

Hess nodded, smiling, then sobered as he asked, "Mrs. Pendleton, you didn't speak to your sister for many years, is that right?"

Muffy looked like she was going to cry. "Yes, that's right. Bitsy and I had a falling out. You know, I can't even remember what it was about! And every year, I thought, we need to mend this, we need to get together again. But I always thought there would be more time."

She dabbed a handkerchief to her eyes (which hadn't actually shed a tear) and said, "Then, suddenly, there was no more time! My sister was gone."

Hess patted her hand in comfort. "So what made you decide to try for custody of your niece?"

"She is all that I have left of my sister! The only thing!"

"Do you have any children of your own?"

"No," she said sadly. "My husband and I were not blessed. But we have so much to offer, so much love to give a child. And there is my only sister's child needing a mother AND a father."

She made sure to emphasize the "and".

"Thank you, Mrs. Pendleton." Hess turned to the judge. "I have no more questions for Mrs. Pendleton."

"Thank you, Mr. Hess." The judge addressed Casey. "Ms Landers, since you don't have a lawyer here, was there anything you wanted to ask Mrs. Pendleton?"

"Um. yes. Your honor." Casey said. She rose from her chair and approached Muffy.

"Muf…uh, Mrs. Pendleton, can I ask why you didn't attend the funeral for your sister and your nephews?"

"I was too distraught. As I said, I had hoped that my sister and I would resolve our differences. But once she died, I realized that we never would. I was inconsolable. Thad would tell you. I was prostrate in my bedroom for days. By the time I was able to function again, the funeral was over. I do feel very badly about that, but there was nothing I could do."

Casey continued. "But you never tried to contact Tiffany since then either."

"I know. That was terrible of me. I felt a good deal of guilt both from not speaking to my sister before she died and then not attending the funeral. I thought Tiffany would be hostile towards me because of that."

"Is the guilt gone now?"

"No, I shall always hold onto that guilt. But I forced myself to put it aside for the greater good. That being my dear niece's welfare."

"What makes you think she'd be better off with you than with me?"

"Well, my dear, there are many reasons. First of all, I can provide her with a father. Everyone knows that children have much more success in life when there is a mother and a father in the home.

"And then, of course, I can provide her with all of the things you would not be able to. We can send her to the finest private schools, give her all that she needs and desires. And, of course, when it is time for college, we can afford to send her to whichever Ivy League school she chooses."

Casey bit her lip. She knew she couldn't compete with the Pendletons when it came to money. She could barely pay the bills as it was.

"You don't know her. You don't know anything about her at all."

"No, we don't. But we can remedy that. We can get to know her and to love her. We know that you love her and we just want the opportunity to love her as well."

Casey sat down, not sure if there was anything else she could ask.

Hess called Thad Pendleton up. The man moved smoothly through the room and took his seat with grace.

Hess addressed his client. "Mr. Pendleton, how do you feel about obtaining custody of your wife's niece?"

"I would be thrilled. It's a great disappointment that my wife and I were unable to have children of our own. But we feel we have so much to share with a child and this child clearly needs our love."

"Are you a church going man, Mr. Pendleton?"

"Yes, my wife and I attend the First Presbyterian Church on Long Island every Sunday. I've been a member of that congregation since I was a child. Tiffany would be raised in a God-fearing home."

Hess asked him a few more questions about his occupation and values and then sat down.

The judge looked at Casey. She knew she should ask him something, but she didn't know what to ask and she was getting more and more nervous as the day went on. She now knew she really should have gotten a lawyer.

Hess questioned a few other people to give character references of his clients. Casey had no idea who the people were, so she said nothing.

Lastly, the lawyer brought up the psychologist who testified that the child seemed anxious to prove that she was normal. She also told the court that the child was unnaturally attached to her aunt's boyfriend and it seemed to be an effort to obtain a new father.

When she stepped down, Hess told the judge, "Those are all of my witnesses, your honor."

"Thank you, Mr. Hess." He peered at Casey. "Ms Landers, you may now begin to question your witnesses."

Casey stood and in a halting voice said, "I don't have any witnesses, your honor. Just me. I'd like to just present my side and my reasons why Tiffany should stay with me."

"Then please go ahead."

She brought out the documents, showing the judge her brother's will and guardianship papers, saying, "When their first child was born, my brother and sister-in-law asked me to be legal guardian. They updated the will with each child's birth. The children always knew I would be their guardian if their parents' died."

She also presented a photo album of her and Tiffany in New York and in Princeton sharing many happy times.

"You can also see from this album that I have been a part of Tiffany's life since she was born. She and I have a connection and she belongs with me."

The judge looked at the items and said, "Thank you, Ms Landers.' He turned to the lawyer. "Mr. Hess, do you have any questions?"

"Yes, your honor." Hess stood and approached Casey.

"Ms Landers, your niece was very close to her father, isn't that right?"

"Yes, she was."

"And she misses him very much?"

"Well, of course. It's not quite a year."

"Ms Landers, do you believe that the traditional family unit is the ideal place for a child to be raised?"

"Well, if it's possible, I suppose. But there is nothing wrong with a single parent home. Children can prosper there as well if there is love and respect between parent and child."

He consulted the psych report. "Ms Landers, can you tell me who is 'Doctor Greg'?"

Casey was taken a little off guard. She quickly glanced at the back of the room where House sat. He met her eye and nodded almost imperceptibly. She looked at the lawyer.

"Uh, he's a friend of mine."

"More than just a friend, correct?"

"Well, I guess you might say…"

"He's your lover, isn't he, Ms Landers?'

She whispered her response.

"Excuse me, could you repeat that so that everyone can hear?"

"Yes."

"And your niece is aware of the sexual nature of your relationship?"

"Yes. But Greg is her friend too."

"Ms Landers, do you really feel that it is appropriate for you to bring an adult male into the home of an impressionable adolescent girl? A man that you are having sex with and who has also befriended your niece?"

"I don't know what you're implying, but if it's that Greg would hurt Tiffany in any way, you are way off base. He's a very respected doctor and would never think of harming her in any way."

"Wasn't he arrested for drug abuse? And I believe he admitted to having a substance dependency problem."

"Those charges were bogus and were dropped. And he has a medical condition that causes him to be in great pain and in need of pain medication."

The judge interrupted. "Mr. Hess, unless Dr. House was convicted of a crime, you know that you cannot bring up his arrest."

"Of course, your honor, I apologize." He said in a condescending tone. "Now, can we please review your financial situation?"

He was handed some papers by one of his young associates. "Your brother left the family home to his daughter, is that correct?"

"Yes."

"And the mortgage insurance paid for the house." Casey nodded. "But you are responsible for the taxes?"

"Yes. Well, next year's. This past year's bill was covered by the insurance."

He showed her a piece of paper. "Would you say that this is a fair assessment of the taxes that will be due on the house?"

She took the paper and quickly looked at it. "Yes, that's probably right."

"Are you working, Ms Landers?"

"Yes, I teach at a dance school."

"Ah, yes. How many classes do you teach?"

"Four or five."

"Would it be a correct assumption to make that your salary for a year would just pay this tax bill?"

Casey squirmed. "Maybe."

"Maybe? Do you have an alternate source of income? Is you boyfriend the doctor providing you with funds?'

"No!" Casey was vehement. "Any money that comes in I earn legally. There's also a life insurance policy. And Tiffany gets social security payments."

"Yes, I'm aware of the social security." He showed her another piece of paper. "Is this the amount she receives?"

Casey peered at it. "Yes, that's correct."

"So you are living and supporting a young girl on your salary from teaching dance, a child's social security payments and by dipping into her father's life insurance policy?"

"Yes."

"A child of that age grows so quickly. Always needing new clothes, shoes, etc. And always wanting the latest gadgets to keep up with her friends, true."

Casey nodded.

"Even more as she gets to high school. Trips, prom dresses – all kinds of things. And that's before she even gets to college."

Casey just stared at him.

"Do you think you'll be able to afford to send her to college?"

"I'll do the best I can. We'll work it out."

"Yes, of course, student loans are always available. Ms Landers, do you really want your niece to spend the next twenty years of her life paying off student loans?"

"Well, I can only do what I can do."

"Of course you can. Ms Landers, you love your niece very much, don't you?"

"Yes, I do." No hesitation in her voice on that note.

"And because you do, you gave up a successful career on the stage to take care of her. That shows how much you would sacrifice for her."

"Yes."

"Would you sacrifice even more? Would you allow her to have the life she deserves to have?"

"I…"

"She could be living in a home with a father and mother, a large beautiful home with a swimming pool and tennis court. She could be attending a private school, she could have her college tuition guaranteed. Don't you want all of those things for her? For the child you love so much?"

"I…I don't know." Casey was overwhelmed and confused.

"Ms Landers, you would be doing your niece a tremendous service by allowing her to live in an environment where she would want for nothing. Do you love her enough to do that?"

House watched the emotions and doubt play on Casey's face. He wanted to yell at her, but he knew that would get him thrown out of the courtroom and he needed to be there for her.

But as he sat there, he kept wishing he believed in telepathy. Because then she might hear him saying under his breath, 'don't do it, don't do it.'


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

A million thoughts seemed to be running through her head. The money, or lack of it, in their home. The chance for Tiffany to have everything she wanted and needed. The lawyer's incessant voice asking her how much she loved her niece. She glanced at the judge, but he was not meeting her eye. She could see he thought she was stupid and weak.

And at that moment, she felt stupid and weak. And didn't know how to stop feeling that way. Her chest felt tight. She was starting to have an anxiety attack

Hess looked her in the eye. "Ms Landers, don't you want to do the right thing for your niece? Don't you want to be strong and brave and ensure your niece's future? Don't you want to make sure she has everything that you can't give her?"

"Yes, I-I, of course I do! I just don't know, I mean…"

He picked up some papers from the table. "All you would have to do is sign this paper, granting custody to the Pendletons. And you would ensure that Tiffany's future is secure."

Her voice quivered. "Would I get to see her?"

"Of course! You would be granted generous visitation rights." Hess smiled at her. "Do the right thing, Ms Landers, do the right thing."

"Okay," she whispered.

Hess didn't waste a moment. "All you need to do is to sign these papers. I'll take care of all the legal issues after that."

He handed her the papers and a pen. With a shaky hand, she signed her name.

House shook his head and thought, Oh my God, what did you just do?

Casey stumbled out of the courtroom in a daze. What had she just done? House followed behind her, although he felt she didn't even realize he was there.

Before she could walk very far, Mr. Hess approached her.

"Ms Landers?"

She turned and looked at the man. His silver hair was still not out of place and he had that slick, patronizing smile on his face.

"What?" She asked, not even trying to be polite.

"Will twenty-four hours be enough time or will you require more?"

"Enough time for what?"

"To vacate the house. We don't want to seem unfeeling, but my clients would prefer to finish their business here and close up the house before they return to Long Island with the child."

"The house? Why am I…"

"The house was left to Tiffany by her parents. Since you are no longer her guardian, you have no right to live in the house. My clients do not want to have to be concerned with the house at this time. They will close it up so that the child can choose what to do with it when she comes of age."

Casey was speechless. The fact that Tiffany would no longer live with her had barely begun to sink in. Now she was going to have to leave the house. Where would she go?

"I, uh, I don't know…I guess…" she stammered.

House was furious. It wasn't enough that this son of a b!tch had browbeat and coerced Casey into giving up Tiffany. Now he was throwing her out of her home.

"She'll be gone." He told him, though the piercing blue eyes said he wanted to shove his cane up the man's ss. The only thing that stopped him was the fact that they were in a courthouse and there were sheriff's deputies wandering around everywhere. He had a feeling he'd be dragged off to jail in two seconds if he did.

And right now, Casey needed him more.

"Come on." He said to her as he took her arm and turned to walk away.

"Wait." The lawyer called after them. They turned back. "My associate will be coming along with you. I'm sure you understand."

Casey was confused, but House understood. "You asshole. You really think she's gonna steal anything?"

"What?" Casey said, alarmed.

"It's protocol. We have to be sure our client's interests are protected. As Tiffany is now under the guardianship of my clients, we are responsible for guarding her assets."

House took a step towards Hess. "Yeah, right. Protocol. And is it protocol that makes you a pr!ck or were you just born that way?"

The lawyer pulled back. "I warn you, if you touch me, I will sue you. And I will win.'

"I wouldn't waste my time on you. Or my cane." Once again he took Casey's arm and they left the courthouse, Hess's young associate following quickly after them.

They arrived at the Landers home in a line, House and Casey in his car, the legal associate, Helena Reynolds, just behind them. The car ride had been mostly quiet, as Casey was in shock. She had only spoken when Judy's mother called and asked if she could drop Tiffany off on her way to the mall. Casey had told her they were on their way back to the house and that would be fine.

During the ride, Casey tried to process all that had happened. After she had signed the papers, the lawyer had told her something about visitation and some other things, but her mind had been fuzzy.

House and Casey walked inside and moments later, Tiffany bounded in as well. She ignored the lawyer that was standing there and ran to Casey.

"We had a great time! Is everything okay?"

"Tif…" she wasn't sure how to tell her, so she just indicated the stranger in the room. "This is Miss Reynolds. She's a lawyer."

Tiffany looked at her quizzically. "Hello."

Miss Reynolds nodded to the girl.

"Why is she here?" Tiffany demanded.

"She, um, has to make sure you get your stuff packed and, um…"

"Packed? Why? Are we going on a trip?"

"No, um…" Casey started crying and couldn't continue. House swore under his breath and turned to the child.

"K Mart, you're going to go to your other aunt's house."

"To visit her? Can't I visit her later? My friends and I have plans this week."

"No. Not to visit her. You're going to be living with her."

Tiffany's eyes widened and her face went pale as she addressed her aunt. "You lost? You lost me? How? You said we wouldn't lose! You said I would be with you forever! What happened?"

Casey swallowed hard before saying, "Honey, your aunt and uncle have a lot of money. They have a huge house with a pool and tennis court and everything. They can afford to send you to really good schools and college. They can buy you everything you need, everything you want."

"I don't care about that. I like my school. And the only thing I want is you and Doctor Greg."

"We can barely pay the bills here. I can't buy you anything extra."

"So marry Doctor Greg. He's a doctor, he makes a lot of money. Then everything will be fine."

Casey shook her head. "That's not the answer, honey. We can't depend on Greg. This isn't his problem."

House turned away. He couldn't let either female see the emotion that he was feeling at that moment.

"But you said we would always be together. You knew you didn't have money when you said that! You can go back to court. You can do a – a, a something. Judy's dad said if you lost you could do a something."

"An appeal" Casey said quietly. "It's not that easy."

House looked at Casey. "Tell her."

"I can't."

"She's gonna find out anyway. Better if she hears it from you."

"What?" Tiffany asked. "Better if I hear what?"

The tears were running down Casey's face now. "Because of all the things they can do for you, it just, it just seemed that maybe, you would be happier with them."

"I won't."

"Well, at the moment, it seemed like maybe you would."

Tiffany looked at her. "What are you…?" She turned to House. "What is she saying?"

Casey was unable to speak, so House took a deep breath and looked the child directly in the eyes.

"She turned over custody to them."

Tiffany's eyes filled with tears too. She looked at her aunt. "You gave me to them?"

Casey nodded.

"I thought you loved me! You said you did!"

"I did, I do!"

"No, you don't. You hate me for making you give up Chorus Line. So you gave me to them. I don't want to live with them! I hate them! And I hate you!"

She ran from the room.

Casey collapsed onto the floor, the tears overwhelming her now. The lawyer, who had been standing in the room throughout this exchange, discreetly coughed to make her presence known.

"I'm sorry, Miss Landers, but Mr. Hess is sending someone and expecting us to return with the child before five."

House was in the process of scooping Casey up from the floor and now he turned his ice blue gaze to the lawyer.

"Get the fuck out of here. Do lawyers have to turn in their hearts to pass the bar exam?"

Miss Reynolds visibly paled. "I, I understand. I don't want to… I just started at the firm and Mr. Hess is very …"

"He's an asshole, that's what he is." House blew out a breath. "Go fix your face or whatever women do. Give us a few minutes here."

The lawyer nodded and fled the room, relieved to be away from the emotional scene that had touched her. She hadn't liked what her boss did to the woman in court. But this was her first job as a lawyer and she had massive school loans to pay off. She couldn't afford to anger Hess.

House was trying to calm Casey, but she pushed him away.

"No, leave me be. I just need to cry this out for a bit. Go to Tif. She doesn't want to see me, but she needs someone. Please, Greg?"

He nodded and limped away, making his way up the stairs as quickly as he could manage.

He found her in her room. She was pulling clothes out of drawers and throwing them on the bed. Her anger and frustration was visible.

"Hey, K."

She paused and looked at him. The pain on her face was heartbreaking. Then she went back to her frenzied work.

"I'm busy." She said coldly.

"Kid, I know what you're feeling."

"No, you don't!"

"You're feeling helpless because other stupid people made decisions for you. No one took into account what you really wanted. And now you have no choice but to live with what they did."

She stopped in the middle of tossing a shirt on the bed and sat down on it instead. He sat beside her. She lifted her face to stare at him.

"What am I going to do?"

"Whatever you have to."

"I don't want to live with those people."

"Yeah, I got that. Looks like you're gonna have to."

"Why did she do it?"

He hesitated. "She didn't want to. But at the time, she was convinced it was the best thing for you."

"But…"

"Look, it's done. For now anyway. You've gotta go with them. The bright side is that they're loaded. Take them for everything you can."

She smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. "Do I have to leave tonight?"

"Yeah."

"So I guess I better really pack this stuff?"

"That would be a good idea."

She walked slowly to her closet and pulled out a suitcase. She was putting her clothes into it, when Casey cautiously walked into the room. She had stopped crying, but her eyes were red and puffy and House could see that more tears were just an emotion away.

"Do you need help?" she asked Tiffany.

"No." The child replied without looking at her.

"Okay." She hesitated, not sure of what to say next. "Um, you know I can come and visit you."

"Don't bother."

"Oh. Tif, please, don't let's part like this, please."

"You don't want me, that's okay. I don't want you either. Just leave." She didn't look up from her packing.

The tears were ready to come again. "Okay." Casey whispered and slipped out of the room.

House watched her leave and then spoke to the child again. "She made a mistake, but she still loves you."

"Yeah, well, I don't love her."

"Okay..'

She looked up at him suddenly. "Don't you believe me?"

"No. But you do right now, so…"

"Will you come and visit me?"

"Don't think I'll be allowed. The court's not gonna let some adult male that you're not related to just come and visit you. If I was with Casey, well, then. But not alone."

"Oh."

"You can email or call me whenever you want though."

She nodded.

A young man appeared in the doorway. "Hello, Tiffany. I'm Martin Bowers from Sanborn and Hess. I'm here to take you to your aunt and uncle. Are you finished with your packing?"

Tiffany bit her lip and closed her suitcase. "Yes."

Watkins took the suitcase and waited for her to come with him. She walked towards him and out into the hallway. House limped behind. Just as she was about to start down the stairs, she ran back and threw her arms around his waist.

In a tearful voice, she said, "I love you!"

"Back at you K. Give 'em hell, okay?"

She nodded and slowly pulled away from him, then reluctantly followed the lawyer down the stairs and out of the house.


	16. Chapter 16

**Wow, still reeling from last night's season finale! If anyone hasn't seen it yet, I won't say anything except WOW!**

Chapter 16

After Tiffany left, House made his way to Casey's room. She was mirroring her niece's actions and tossing clothes on the bed. She glanced at him when he entered, but didn't pause in her actions.

"Is she gone?" she asked him.

"Yeah."

"Did she say anything about me?"

"Nothing you want to hear right now."

"Right. She hates me." She sighed and stopped her frantic work. "You probably hate me too."

"Nope. I think you're an idiot, but I don't hate you."

"It seemed the right thing to do. HE made it sound so right."

"I know. So, what are you gonna do now?"

"I have no fucking idea!"

"Okay."

"Look, just leave, Greg. Please, I'm not good company for anyone right now. I just need to be alone."

"Are you sure…?"

"Yes, just go. Please, just go!"

He nodded his head and left the room. He paused at the top of the stairs, wondering if he could have prevented all this if he had followed up on his instinct and proposed. She wouldn't have felt so financially stressed and maybe wouldn't have given in to Hess's coercion.

Would it be possible to still help? No, he could see that she was in no shape to make any rational decision at this moment. Asking her to marry him now would not help the situation.

When Casey heard the door close and his car pull away, she collapsed again in tears. Outside, it began to rain. Perfect, she thought, rain was exactly how she was feeling.

But her crying jag was forced to be short lived when Helena Reynolds came in. She seemed embarrassed.

"I'm really sorry, Ms Landers, but Mr. Hess wants the house closed up as soon as possible. How much longer do you think it will be?"

Casey rose and wiped her eyes. "Sure, right, you need to kick me out of here."

'I am really sorry. I don't understand why there is such a rush, I asked Mr. Hess, but he said it had to be closed up tonight."

"It's not your fault."

She put as much as she could in her suitcase and a duffel bag, but she ran out of space. She began throwing her stuff into plastic grocery bags. She felt like a bag lady and realized that she had no place to go to. She was now a homeless woman with all her belongings in bags. She was a bag lady!

She brought the luggage and the five or six bags downstairs, then reached into her purse for the car keys, but the lawyer stopped her once more.

"I, uh, I'm sorry, but I need to get the car keys from you too."

"What do you mean?"

"The car is still in your brother's name. Therefore it's part of the estate and doesn't belong to you." The woman looked pained.

Casey just stared at her, then tossed the keys to her. She somehow managed to grab all the stuff and headed for the door.

"I could give you a ride, Ms Landers."

"Don't do me any favors." She walked out into the night, having absolutely no idea where she would go or what she would do.

****************************************************

House was nursing his third scotch. He had come home and found the apartment cold and lonely. He hadn't been spending much time in his apartment, except for the few weeks they'd been fighting. And he hadn't liked those weeks at all. At least he'd been in contact with K Mart during that time. Now…

He was thinking about whether he should pour a fourth drink or just try to fall asleep, when there was a knock at the door.

He limped over and opened it to find a wet and bedraggled Casey standing there. Her eyes were even redder than before, if that was possible and she was soaked to the bone. She had a bunch of plastic bags on the floor beside her, as well as a suitcase and duffel bag.

"What the hell happened to you?"

"They took the car. It wasn't mine, so I had no right to it. And I had to walk in the rain for awhile before I found a taxi." She sniffed before continuing. "I have no where to go and no money. I just gave the cab driver the last of my money."

He wasn't sure what to say, what she wanted.

"You're right, I am an idiot. I did the stupidest thing in the world and now I don't know what to do next. Can I stay with you? At least for a little while? I don't have anywhere else to go. Please, Greg?"

He couldn't speak. He just opened his arms and she fell into them. Her sobs filled the room as she cried into his shirt. He tightened his arms around her and kissed the top of her head as he held her.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

After getting a shower and changing into sleep pants and a t-shirt, Casey sat on the sofa in a daze. House offered her food, but she wasn't hungry. He handed her a glass of scotch and she did drink that. But she really only wanted to get in bed. House led her into the bedroom and pulled back the covers. She climbed in and he followed her, pulling her up close to him. She curled into him.

"Why are you being so nice to me? I'm an idiot."

"Yes, you are."

"So why are you being so nice to me?"

"Just because you're an idiot, doesn't mean I don't like you."

"You hate idiots."

"Well, you're an idiot with a great body, so I'll put up with you."

She nestled closer to him and started weeping softly. He just held her tighter and sighed.

************************************************************

"How long is she going to stay with you?" Wilson asked him the next day.

"I don't know."

"Are you two, like, officially living together?"

House shook his head. "I don't think so. She had no place to go and no money for a hotel. I was the last resort."

"But she's there? So, maybe now would be a good time to take it further?"

"Yeah, when she's depressed and having bad dreams about giving up her niece, I'm sure she's ready to get married."

Wilson thought about that further. He didn't want to say what came into his mind because he knew it wouldn't go over well, but since he was House's self-appointed conscience, he had to.

"You know, if you had asked her before all of this, it might not have happened."

"Wow, did you think that up all by yourself? Aren't you smart!" House said sarcastically.

Realizing then that his friend was already beating himself up about that, he just sighed and said, "Well, give her time. She may start feeling better."

"Yeah, and I may win Miss Congeniality in the hospital beauty pageant, but I don't see that happening."

*********************************************************************************

At the end of the hearing, after Casey had signed the custody papers and while she was still in a daze, the lawyers had put other papers in front of her to sign. They were for her to agree to visitation once a month for one hour at the Pendleton home. She hadn't known what was going on, and later when she realized, she was furious. But there was nothing she could do about it.

So, bright and early the next Sunday, House and Casey set out in his car for Long Island.

They pulled into the front drive of a well-tended, beautiful mansion. There was not a blade of grass out of place. It was absolutely gorgeous, absolutely perfect. House hated it on sight.

The door was opened by a uniformed housekeeper. Casey introduced herself and they were led inside to small parlor. The housekeeper left them and a few minutes later, Muffy appeared.

She was perfectly dressed in beige linen slacks and a white silk tunic blouse. There was scarf around her head in various shades of beige and cream with a large gold necklace at her neck.

"Hello, Casey. Tiffany will be here shortly." Her gaze rested on House. Her shrewd eyes assessed him quickly. The look she gave him was a bit like a tiger sizing up a gazelle. "I assume this is your…friend, Dr. House?"

"Yes."

"Well, the court said you were to be granted visitation rights. Not him."

"He and Tiffany are friends. She adores him."

Muffy gave her a look and said, "And you don't find that upsetting? A twelve year old girl with an unnatural connection to a middle-aged man?"

"It's not unnatural. They are friends."

"The court said you were to be granted visitation. They never mentioned him."

Casey opened her mouth to fight, but House took her arm and stopped her. "This isn't the time. Tiffany needs to see you. I'll wait in the car."

"Greg…" she started, but he shook his head.

As he walked past Muffy Pendleton, he whispered to her, "Not a chance. Not interested in the Muff."

Once he was gone, Muffy left the room and Casey waited anxiously for her niece. A few minutes later, Tiffany walked slowly into the parlor and sat down. Casey noticed that she was wearing new clothes. The quality was unmistakable. And her hair was pulled neatly back from her face with a headband. She sat on one of the small sofas, keeping her head down.

"HI, Tif." Casey said brightly, trying to lighten the mood.

"Hello." She replied, never raising her head.

"How are you doing?"

"Fine."

"What have you been doing?"

She shrugged.

"Have you made any friends yet?"

She shook her head.

"Have you been in contact with your friends from Princeton?"

She nodded.

The conversation continued in this way for the next half an hour, with Casey asking questions and Tiffany gesturing or giving one-word answers.

Finally, Casey got up and sat beside her. "Honey, please talk to me. I know that you're mad at me, but I love you. This is our one chance to see each other. Please don't act this way."

Tiffany was silent, then she looked at Casey. "Where's Doctor Greg? Why didn't you bring him?"

"I did bring him. He's outside. But he's not related to you, so they won't let him see you."

Tiffany ran to the window and looked out. She saw House leaning against the car. He smiled slightly and raised his hand. She waved to him.

Then reluctantly, Tiffany turned from the window and sat down again.

"So," Casey said, "Have you talked to your friends?"

Tiffany nodded, but didn't look at her. "Email and texting."

"How are they?"

"Okay."

"I saw Judy in the drug store last week with her mom. She really misses you."

"Yeah."

Casey sighed. "What have you been doing here?"

"Lots of things."

"Like what?"

"Stuff."

"What kind of stuff?"

She shrugged. "Computer. Swimming. You know, stuff."

The conversation continued like that for the rest of the hour. Finally, the housekeeper returned to inform Casey that their time was up. Casey went to her niece and hugged her. Tiffany did not respond or hug her back.

"I'll see you in a month."

"You don't have to come. It doesn't matter." She tried to act blasé, but there was an almost imperceptible sadness in her manner.

"I'll be here."

Casey was silent on the drive home. House wanted to find out what she was thinking, but thought he should wait until she was ready. He thought that for about ten or fifteen miles. Then he decided he'd given her enough time.

"So, what did she say?"

"Nothing."

"You were with her for an hour. She didn't say anything?"

"Not very much. But it didn't take much for me to realize that she hates me."

"She's upset, she's confused. You need to give her time."

"She doesn't want me to visit her again." Casey said with a hitch in her voice.

"So does that mean you're not going to?"

"I don't know."

"Then you don't care about her."

Casey's eyes flashed. "You know that's not true."

"Of course it isn't. But if you abandon her now, she'll believe she was right."

Casey sighed and thought about it. "Well, she's not right about that. I love her very much. But I wonder if maybe she does belong with them."

"With the ice queen and that GQ cover she's married to? Not hardly."

"Did you see that house? It was gorgeous."

"It was pretentious bullshit. It wasn't a home."

She glanced at him. She really didn't expect him to be so sentimental. "That doesn't mean they don't or can't care for her." She said.

"They'll never love her as much as we do." He said grimly, keeping his eyes on the road.

She put her hand on his leg and caressed it lightly. He didn't look at her, just kept driving. But instead of making her feel better, it only made her feel more guilty. She had not only ruined her niece's life, she had ruined House's as well.

She really knew how to mess things up.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

House woke to the sound of crying. He sighed as he thought, she's having the dream again. He'd heard the same crying in her sleep just about every night in the two weeks she'd been staying with him. He lightly shook her to wake her.

"Hey, Casey? Wake up."

She opened her tear-strewn eyes, confused. Then as realization set in, she covered them with her hand.

"Same dream?" he asked her.

She nodded, "Yes. I'm sorry to wake you."

"It's okay. Casey, maybe you need to do something about this."

"What? Talk to a therapist? Tell someone that I keep dreaming that my dead brother is crying and asking me why I would abandon his only living child? I don't need a shrink to explain THAT to me."

"Not talk to someone. Do something."

"What?"

"Fight for her"

"How the hell do I do that?"

"Get a lawyer, go to court, appeal the custody."

She got out of bed and paced around the room. "There's no way I can do that."

"Why not?"

"First of all, I can't afford a lawyer. And no, don't tell me you'll pay for it. I won't take that money from you. And second, I gave her up. They're not going to give her back to me."

"Not if you don't try they won't."

"Drop it, Greg. There's nothing I can do."

They had the same discussion again a few days later when he came home to find her still in bed.

"I didn't sleep well last night and I decided to take a nap." Was her excuse.

But he could see that she had probably only left the bed to relieve herself.

"You need to start living again. This is not getting you anywhere."

"Living how? What do you want me to do? And don't start on that same shit about fighting for Tiffany. I can't do that. And it's still summer, so the dance school is on vacation."

"You used to work out everyday. You used to cook. Hell, we used to have sex!"

"Is that what's bothering you? No sex? Well, okay, I guess I should pay for my room and board. So here you go, come on, screw me.'

She pulled off her t-shirt and lay back on the bed.

"Christ, Casey, what the hell? I'm not looking for that or for you to pay me. And hell, when was the last time you showered?

"Didn't think that would matter to you. Don't you like dirty girls?"

"I like you as you were. Bright, beautiful, full of life."

"Well, that woman is gone. She went to Long Island with a twelve-year old girl."

"No, she didn't. And if you continue that way, you may as well just die here and now. You're not good for anyone like this."

The tears started falling again. God, she had cried so much in the last few weeks, she'd thought she was cried out. But still more kept falling.

"I just don't know what to do!"

He stared at her, not knowing how to deal with the tears.

"Well, first of all, get out of bed, get a shower, eat something and start living your life again."

"I don't know if I can."

"You'll never know if you sit there wallowing in your own self-pity."

She fell onto the bed. He sat beside her and patted her back. Slowly, she sniffed and sat up, looking at him.

"Maybe I should go take a shower? Then maybe you'd want to sleep with me?"

"I always want you. But yeah, a shower would be good."

The next few days saw Casey coming out of her funk. She got up each day, showered, dressed, worked out, cooked, ate, and made love to House. She still missed Tiffany and she still had the dreams, but not every night.

She started talking to him about what she should do now. She looked at college courses and considered going back to school. She checked out other dancing schools to see if she could maybe teach more classes.

Then, she stopped talking about her plans and just seemed to enjoy being with him. It made him think that maybe she was accepting the situation and might be ready to move forward with him.

It made him think so much about it, that one day after work he wandered downtown and into a jewelry store. He tried to act casual, tried to tell himself he was just browsing. Then he saw the beautiful round diamond ring surrounded by tiny emeralds. It was perfect and he knew she would love it. He tried to talk himself out of it, tried to tell himself it was an impulse and he should go home and think about it some more. But somehow he found himself going to the clerk, credit card in hand. A few minutes later, he left the store with a small velvet box in his pocket.

He thought about when he should ask her and decided to give it a few days and then take her out for a nice dinner and propose.

But the next day he came home and found her packing.

"What's up?"

She licked her lips and avoided his eyes.

"Casey, what are you doing?"

"Greg, I've made a decision." She took a deep breath. "I'm going back to New York."

He stared at her.

"I can't just stay here and do nothing! Maybe there was a reason I gave her up. Maybe I really wanted to get back to the stage."

"You gave her up because that asshole lawyer talked you into it."

"I don't know, Greg. Maybe subconsciously I wanted to go back."

He stared at her some more, then turned and walked into the kitchen where he proceeded to pour himself a scotch.

She followed him. "Are you angry?"

"Why should I be? You're going to New York to follow your dream. I'm staying here."

"We're not breaking up! I'm just going to New York."

He laughed. "Oh, sure. You'll be here every night. No, wait, you'll be on stage. But you'll be here in the morning. No, that's when you have dance class and all that other stuff. So I guess you won't be here. But we're not breaking up."

"Greg, it's only New York. It's only about an hour away. You can come up on weekends when you don't have a patient. I'll take you to all my favorite places. We'll have a blast. And whenever I have some time off, I'll come down here to you. We'll still be together."

He turned away from her so that she would not see the emotion in his eyes. But boy was he happy that he hadn't given her that ring.

"When are you leaving?"

"Tomorrow. I called some friends and they're going to let me stay with them until I find a place."

"Great."

"Please, Greg, don't be mad at me. I need to do this. I need to see if I can still do it. Please don't hate me for doing this. Please just understand."

He knew he had a choice here. He could be his same, miserable self and lash out at her to hide his own pain. Or he could be a man who loved a woman and wanted her to be happy. And he only had a split second to make that choice.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

""You should go." He told her.

"You won't mind?"

_Of course I mind_, he wanted to yell at her. "You have to do what you have to do."

"I really don't want to leave, but…"

_Of course you do._ "I know."

"I need to find out if I can still make it on the stage."

_And you don't want to exchange the excitement of Broadway for being the wife of a cranky doctor._ "Sure. You should."

"I mean, I don't know if I can still make it."

_But you still want that life more than this one._ "Sure you can. You're terrific."

She smiled and kissed him lightly. "Thank you for being so understanding and supportive. I thought you'd be really upset."

_Why should I be upset that you're abandoning me?_ "That's me. I'm all about the nurturing."

"The other advantage is that I'm only a train ride away from Long Island. Maybe I can get the lawyers to amend the custody agreement to allow more visits to Tiffany."

_Yeah, it's also far away from me._ "Yeah, that would be good."

She continued packing and he watched her, not sure what to do. He decided that watching her was depressing him, so he returned to the kitchen and poured another scotch, then moved into the living room and sat down at the piano.

When Casey heard the piano playing, she wasn't sure if he was upset or indifferent. She was glad that he'd been so understanding, but a part of her had hoped that he would fight and ask her to stay.

She knew that she would miss him when she left, but the feelings that she had for him confused her. Despite dating other men over the years, she'd never really fallen deeply in love with anyone. There were times when she'd thought 'maybe,' but it had always ended and it hadn't really hurt.

House was different. She found herself thinking about him all the time, wanting to be with him, to share things with him. And she was so afraid that he didn't feel the same. Sure, he liked the sex. Was ecstatic about it actually. But if she told him how she truly felt, she was sure he would run screaming for the hills. And this time it would hurt.

So she tired to keep it light and easy between them. That was the main reason she was going to New York. Living with him was too nice. And he'd been so sweet to her with the bad dreams and everything. Even though he didn't agree with her giving up Tiffany. But his patience would only last so long. She knew that.

And when he grew tired of the weepy, pathetic woman who'd screwed up her own and her niece's life, not to mention hurting him as well, he'd be looking to get out of the situation.

Better for her to move out and still keep him as part of her life. In New York, when he visited, they could relax, have some fun, some great sex and hopefully he wouldn't get tired of her.

The next day, House reluctantly drove her to the train station. He watched helplessly as she bought the train ticket and checked her suitcase and overnight case. She was leaving the rest of her stuff at his apartment until she found her own place. She stopped at the newsstand and bought a magazine and a pack of gum. She stuffed them into her oversized purse and they searched the directory for where she needed to be.

They got to the train and people were boarding. It was leaving in a few minutes. They both stopped and stared at the shiny train for a few moments, then she turned to him.

"Well, I guess this is it." She told him.

"Yeah, I guess it is."

"I'll call you when I arrive at Lani's place, okay?"

"Okay."

"And we'll figure out when you can come up to visit. Though you might want to get a hotel room when you do, since I'll be sleeping on her sofa until I find a place."

"No problem."

The voice on the loud speaker announced the train was leaving in three minutes and all passengers should board immediately.

She sighed. "Well, I guess this is it."

"You already said that."

She chuckled, "Yeah, I did."

She sighed again, then gave him a kiss on his lips. "Take care, Greg. I'll see you soon."

"Yeah."

Just as she was about to walk away, he pulled on her arm. She turned and saw his brilliant blue eyes. She went to him and put her arms around him in fierce hug. He dropped his cane to put both arms around her. She was blinking back tears that she hoped she could hide from him.

They held each other until the one minute warning announcement came. She broke away and without looking at him, whispered, "Goodbye, Greg."

He was silent. She boarded the train and found a seat by a window looking out at him. As the train pulled away, she whispered to herself, "Goodbye, Love."

He watched her face at the window until he couldn't see it any more and watched the train until it was a tiny speck in the distance and then disappeared. Still he stood there, watching nothing, watching the emptiness that his life now was.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Soon after she moved back to New York, she was scheduled for her next visit with Tiffany. The visit was almost a carbon copy of the previous one, except that her niece was very upset that House wasn't with her.

She went to the window to look for him and turned to Casey in confusion when she didn't see him.

"Where's Doctor Greg?"

"It seemed silly to make him drive up here just to sit in the car since he's not allowed to see you."

Tears filled Tiffany's eyes. "Then why did you come? I wanted to see him."

Casey felt as though she'd been punched. "I came because I love you and I miss you."

Tiffany was silent, staring at the carpet sullenly.

Casey could see the girl was not happy, but she didn't know what to do.

When the next month's visit approached, Casey asked House if he wanted to come to New York and drive up with her. She told him how unhappy Tiffany was. He agreed and on Saturday morning, he drove to the city and Casey met him at the hotel where he'd made a reservation.

When he saw her in the lobby, he felt unbelievably happy to see her. He had missed her – a lot. It had been nice having her in his apartment when he came home. Now it just seemed as empty as the rest of his life without her.

She looked good, standing there in jeans, a button down shirt and a light jacket, carrying a small overnight case. She went right up to him and put her arms around him, taking his lips in a hard kiss.

She had missed him too – much more than she'd anticipated. She knew now that her feelings for him were over the top and she didn't know what to do about it. But at least they had the weekend.

House checked in and they went up to the room to leave their things. But the proximity of the king-sized bed was a problem.

"Well," he said, "We could go out, but I'm worried."

"About what?"

"The bed. What if we come home tonight, tired, and go to bed, only to find it's not comfortable? Then we have to call the front desk and move to another room in the middle of the night."

She pretended to consider that. "Hmm, that could be a problem. What do you suggest we do?"

"Only one thing we can do. We'll have to try it out, make sure it's okay."

"Well, that makes sense. Should we just lie on it for a few minutes."

He pondered her suggestion. "We could do that. But I don't know if that would give us a true reading. We really should move around on it some. That's the only way we'll really know."

"Well, if we have to…"

"Oh, and we should take our clothes off first."

"Why?"

"We don't want to get the bedding dirty. Have to conserve the water it would take to wash them."

"You're so green conscious!"

They both smiled and put the bed to good use for the next hour before they headed out for lunch and city fun.

They ate, then wandered around the city, doing some shopping and staring at people. She hadn't felt this relaxed since Tiffany had left.

They returned to the hotel to dress for the evening and after a little fooling around, they did just that.

After a late dinner at a small bistro, they ended up at a jazz club for drinks and good music, then back to the hotel.

Casey was nervous about seeing Tiffany the next day. Their last meeting had been very stressful. She couldn't sleep, so she initiated lots of sex. While House didn't complain, he understood what she was doing.

Once again, Tiffany spoke in monosyllables, but at least she was not as upset since House was outside. She kept going to the window to look for him.

On the drive back to Manhattan, Casey told House, "If Tiffany would try to adjust to her surroundings, she'd be fine."

"Do you think it's that easy?"

"She's living in a beautiful house. Muffy already bought her new clothes, a new laptop and cell phone. She has everything she could want."

"Not everything."

Casey looked at him. "She's a kid. Once she gets used to living the good life, she'll be fine."

"If that happens, she's not the person I thought she was."

"Why?"

"Because she'll be a stupid, shallow, materialistic brat like all of the other rich little brats running around. She's better than that."

She was silent, then said, "I'm sorry, Greg. I know how much you care about her."

He nodded and was quiet for a bit before saying, "She's been emailing me."

"She has?"

"Yeah. I told her I shouldn't really answer her."

"Why not?"

"The king and queen of pretentiousness might not like her emailing an adult male. And it might affect you."

"You mean they might try to stop me from seeing her?"

He nodded and she sighed. "You're probably right. This sucks doesn't it?"

"Big time, babe."

The next time Casey went up was November and House had a case so he couldn't come. Of course, Tiffany was upset about that.

"You just don't want me to see him!"

"Honey, I would love for you to see him. I know how much you care about him." Apparently more than you care for me, she thought.

"He cares about me too."

"I know he does. But I do too."

"You went back to New York."

"Yes, I did."

"You always wanted to."

"No, I didn't. But without you, I was lonely. So I went back to New York. And I'm closer to you in the city than I was in Princeton."

Tiffany was silent.

"Tif, I do love you. I know you think I don't. But you have to believe that I thought you'd be better off here than with me. They're sending you to that really good school. You have beautiful new clothes, a new computer, everything.

"In a few years, when you're ready to drive, they'll buy you a new car. You can go anywhere you want for college, take trips. You'll have everything you ever wanted."

"Not everything." Her eyes finally met Casey's in accusation. "And I never wanted any of those things either."

"Honey, you're twelve. You don't understand what's best for you."

Tiffany stared at the carpet again. "I know I'm only twelve, but I know when I'm happy and when I'm not."

"You have to give it some time. You'll be happy here, I know you will."

No response.

Casey tried again. "I know it's hard, but as you get to know your aunt and uncle better, you'll start to love them as much as they'll love you."

"Right."

"You will. They will."

"They'd have to talk to me first."

Casey sat up. "They don't talk to you?"

Tiffany shook her head.

"They have to." Casey said. "What about meals?"

"I eat with the nanny."

"But your aunt took you shopping for clothes."

"The nanny did. Aunt Muffy gave her a credit card."

"They bought you all that other stuff."

"They just bought it. They didn't ask me."

"Don't they ever talk to you?"

"Aunt Muffy comes to my room every morning to make sure the maid did her job and to pick out my clothes. Oh, and to tell me when we're going to be photographed by some magazine."

"Why?"

" 'Cause Uncle Thad is running for Congress."

"Oh." Casey said. And then, "Oh!" as it all clicked into place. Before she could say any more to Tiffany, the housekeeper entered the room to tell her that time was up.

On the train ride back to Manhattan, Casey thought about what her niece has told her. She'd been so focused on her own pain in losing Tiffany, she hadn't considered why Muffy had wanted the child so much.

But now she understood. It wasn't care and concern over her sister's child. It wasn't to bring a child to love into their home. Taking in Tiffany turned them into the perfect political family. God, had she screwed up.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

In mid-November, House spent another weekend in New York with Casey. The weekends were too few and far between for his taste, but he didn't want to push it. She had gotten a part in an off-Broadway production and had been busy, so he hadn't pushed it. But finally, he was going to see her.

She was performing on Saturday night and seemed a little reluctant to have him see it.

"It's just a little musical. And it's not just off Broadway, it's way off Broadway. A little avant-garde, if you know what I mean."

"I don't know what you mean, unless you mean weird."

Her face said that he'd hit the nail on the head. "Come on, how bad can it be? You're in it, right? It's got to be pretty good."

She sighed and said, "Okay, If you really want to."

It wasn't just weird, it was downright bizarre. And even Casey's performance couldn't save it.

When he saw her afterwards, she avoided his eyes, knowing how he would feel about it. They were both silent for some time, she didn't want to hear his opinion of it and he didn't want to hurt her. But eventually, neither of them could hold it in.

"Okay," she began, "Go ahead and tell me. What did you think?"

He stared at the table of the Irish pub they were in and didn't say anything.

"Come on, you can tell me."

His blue eyes stared at her. "Are you sure you want the truth?"

"Yes, I do."

"It was the most God-awful thing I have ever seen. And I have seen some pretty bad things in my life."

"Wow, when you're being honest, you don't hold back."

"You wanted the truth."

"I did."

"Casey, I don't get it. Even you couldn't save that piece of crap. What the hell are you doing? You've got a lot more talent than that?"

"Times are hard, there aren't a lot of shows casting right now. Might be better in the spring. In the meantime, I have to eat."

"If you need money…"

She stopped him. "No! Do not offer me money. I can make my own way. I always have in the past. I'll make it through this."

What she didn't tell him was that it wasn't that shows weren't casting, the truth was they weren't casting her. She had tried out for dozens of shows, plays, off Broadway, repertory productions, everything she could think of and that her agent could find. She had contacted everyone she knew to call in favors.

It didn't matter. She'd gone to numerous auditions, but no one hired her. Even producers and directors that she worked with before and who had always liked her, avoided her eyes when she was finished and said they'd contact her. But they didn't.

The only reason she was in this piece of crap show was that no one wanted to do it. The writer and star of the show was a spoiled rich kid. He was financing it with his own money. The audience was sparse and usually consisted of his friends and those who hung around hoping to get a piece of his fortune. It was known around town as the show that people worked in when they couldn't get anything else.

In the past Casey wouldn't have been caught dead in a show like that. But when you have no money, you do whatever you can.

She didn't understand what was wrong with her. She'd always been able to get work, even if it was just chorus work. But she'd always worked, always been able to pay her bills.

Had the time she'd been away to take care of Tiffany caused her to lose her talent? She didn't know the answer, but she couldn't tell House this. She didn't want his money or his pity.

So, she tried to brush it off while he was there. "It's not a big deal. There are some new shows casting soon. I'm sure something will come up. So I do this for awhile. It won't kill me."

She smiled at him and he smiled back. He didn't know why she was doing this show, but he knew that what she was telling him wasn't the truth. He thought about pushing her on it, but they hadn't been together for several weeks and he didn't want to spend this one fighting with her.

Even though he knew there was more that she was keeping from him. Like the vagueness about her moving. She told him something about Lani needing the sofa for someone else. So she moved in with some other friends. What she didn't tell him was the Lani needed Casey to chip in on the bills and when she couldn't, she had to move. Casey found a spot with some other friends, actually three guys, but they lived in a really bad part of the city. But their apartment was a lot cheaper and since Casey volunteered to cook and clean for them, they didn't charge her anything.

Casey went back to Princeton for Thanksgiving and helped Wilson cook dinner for the three of them. It was nice, relaxed. They tried to avoid talking about Tiffany or New York. She returned to the city on Friday. House had a case, so he couldn't come with her.

At December's visit to her niece, Casey asked the housekeeper if she could speak to Mrs. Pendleton before seeing Tiffany.

When Muffy appeared, Casey asked her, "Do you think Tiffany could come and spend Christmas with me?"

Muffy appeared annoyed. "That wasn't in the visitation agreement. One Sunday a month. And since this is December, you've used your visit for this month. And she's to stay here during your visit."

"At the time the agreement was signed, it was supposed to be temporary, until Tiffany adjusted to her life here. It's been several months now."

"And she has still not adjusted. Frankly, I was going to speak to you after the holidays. I am concerned about your friend, Dr. House."

"Why?"

"It has come to my attention that Tiffany continues to communicate with him."

"They are very good friends."

"It's unnatural for a middle-aged man to have a connection with an adolescent girl. I'm worried that he might be a pedophile."

"Are you crazy? Greg? No way!"

"I'm sure if I brought this situation to the court, they would agree with me. And since I am Tiffany's guardian, I must look out for her welfare. So you will make sure these communications stop. Immediately. Or I will see to it that these visits cease as well."

Casey couldn't hold it much longer. "You bitch! How dare you? You lied to the court, all that bullshit about making it up to your dead sister. You didn't give a fig for Beth. You disapproved of her choices and took yourself out of her life. And now the only reason you wanted Tiffany was so that your husband could run for office."

Muffy was not flustered by Casey's outburst. The smug look on her face remained. "I hope you enjoyed your little tirade. Yes, my husband is running for office. And he will win. His family has been involved in politics for many, many years. He has excellent connections. He plays golf weekly with important people. Senators, congressmen, judges, district attorneys.

"And those connections will help to ensure that we avoid unpleasantness like this in the future. Enjoy your visit today. It will be your last. And be sure to tell your boyfriend that if he continues to communicate with Tiffany, he will be arrested as a pedophile. And we can do it."

She gave Casey an icy smile and left the room. Casey was floored. How could she tell Tiffany? They were just starting to talk a little more each month.

When her niece came in, she went immediately to the window and turned around in disappointment when she saw that House's car wasn't there.

"Tif," Casey began. "We need to talk."

The child looked up at her warily. She had learned recently that when someone said those words, the next ones weren't going to be any that she'd like.

"I was talking to Muffy to find out if you could spend Christmas with me."

Her niece's eyes brightened a bit which broke Casey's heart when she had to continue.

"She won't let you. That's not in the visitation agreement, so she said no."

Tiffany shrugged. "It's okay."

"Honey, there's more. Your aunt and uncle think that it's best if you don't communicate with Greg."

The girl was suddenly animated. "Why? He's my friend!"

"I know. And I know how much you care about him. But they don't think it's a good idea for a young girl and an adult male to be friends."

"I don't care what they think! They can't stop me!"

"Actually, they can. They can get Greg in trouble. They could have him arrested."

"He could be arrested for talking to me?"

Casey nodded. "I'm sorry, sweetie. I know how that must hurt."

Tiffany seemed to withdraw into herself as she shrugged again. "Whatever."

Casey bit her bottom lip, wondering how she was going to tell this next part. "Tif, one more thing. Your aunt thinks that it would be better if I didn't visit you either."

The girl looked up, anger in her eyes. "Do you think that?"

"No! Of course I don't. I want to see you more. But she's your guardian."

"Because you gave me to her!"

"I know! I kick myself everyday for what I did! It was the stupidest thing I could ever have done. I'm so, so sorry."

"Are you going to just stop coming?"

"No, I'm not. I'm going to the court and find out what I can do. They promised I could see you and I'm not going to let them stop me."

"You need to get a lawyer."

"Honey, I don't have the money for a lawyer. I have to do what I can through the court."

Tiffany stared at her for a few moments, then nodded. "Okay, whatever."

"Tif, just give me some time. I will work this out, I promise!"


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Casey spent the next few days trying to contact the court to find out if Muffy could rescind the visitation agreement as she had said. She also called a legal aid group to see if she could get help. They gave her what advice they could, but mostly they told her to hire a lawyer. They recommended some attorneys who were setting up new practices and would offer discounts to people legal aid referred to them.

She listened to the advice, but knew that none of these lawyers would have the power to go up against the Pendleton's high powered attorney. And even at a discount, she still didn't have the money to pay them.

Other personal problems also intruded, but she put them aside in her anxiousness to help Tiffany.

A week and a half after her visit to Tiffany, she opened the apartment door to find two police officers there.

"Are you Casey Landers?" The older one asked.

"Yes." She replied.

"May we come in and talk to you?"

"Um, yeah, I guess so. What's this about?"

They walked into the apartment and without further preamble, asked, "When was the last time you saw your niece, Tiffany Landers?"

"Sunday a week ago when I went to see her in Long Island. Why? Has something happened to Tiffany?" She started to panic.

"At that time, did you express a desire to take her for the holidays?"

"I asked Muffy, uh, Mrs. Pendleton if she would let her stay with me, but she said no."

"And so you decided to grant yourself permission?"

"No, I did not. Tell me what's happened. Please."

The younger cop relented. "Your niece has disappeared from the Pendleton home. Mrs. Pendleton is sure that she would be with you."

"Well, she's not! Oh my God, where could she be?"

"May we look around?"

"Go right ahead. She's not here. But if she's wandering the streets of New York looking for me, oh, God!"

The police officers did a search of the apartment, being sure to look in the closets and under beds in case the woman was hiding the child somewhere.

The older officer pulled out a card. "If you hear from your niece or anyone contacts you about her, you need to call us immediately."

"Contacts me about her? You mean like a kidnapping? Oh, God!"

The officers left and Casey tried to put it together. Where could Tiffany have gone? How did she go? Weren't those people watching her? All those servants and the nanny too. They couldn't keep track of one twelve-year old girl.

Casey wandered to the window and looked out. She saw the police car sitting there. Of course, she was the prime suspect. They would keep an eye on her. And follow her as well. She didn't know what to do next.

She was considering her choices when the phone rang. She picked it up absent-mindedly.

"Hello?"

"Guess what I've got here?" House asked her from the other end.

"Greg, I don't have time right now…"

"I have a blue light special."

"What are you…oh!" she said when she realized what he was telling her. "Is she okay? Where are you?"

"Fine and at the hospital."

"The police were here. I think they think I've kidnapped her. In fact they're outside watching for me to leave."

"What do you want to do?"

She sighed. "She has to go back, that's the only thing I can do."

"That's not what she thinks. She already told me that she'll run away again. And next time she won't run to me."

"God, this is a mess. I guess I better come and talk to her."

"Sounds like a plan."

"Okay, I'm going to leave right now."

"Meet us at my place. I don't want to keep her here."

"Okay, see you soon."

_A few hours earlier…._

House walked into the conference room with his team and they began to review symptoms when he thought he saw movement in his office. He kept talking to the team, but kept an eye out and then he saw a young female head pop up once and then quickly go down behind the desk.

He sent the team off with tasks to do for the patient and went to his office. She was sitting on the floor behind his desk.

"Hey, K Mart, what's up?"

"Hi." She smiled at him.

"Last I heard you were in Long Island. Either your aunt and uncle are taking an unexpected vacation or you're not where you're supposed to be."

"I ran away."

"Ah."

"I'm not going back!"

He shrugged. "Doesn't matter to me."

"If they send me back, I'll run away again and no one will find me."

"Got it."

"Are you going to call Aunt Casey?"

"Yes."

"Then I'll run away."

"Why don't you wait til Casey comes? Talk to her, see what she has to say. You can always run away later."

She shrugged. "I guess."

House sat in his desk chair, took out his phone and made the call to Casey. When he was finished, he looked at Tiffany.

"So how'd you escape from the Taj Mahal? I thought they kept you watched."

"Not always."

"Isn't there a nanny?"

She nodded. "But she's been having sex with Uncle Thad when he's working home in his office."

"How do you know that's what they're doing?"

"I heard her talking to her friend on her phone. She thinks Uncle Thad will leave Aunt Muffy for her, but he won't."

"And where is Aunt Muffy while Thad and nanny are in the office?"

"Sometimes out to lunch with her friends. Or else with the gardener. She's having sex with the gardener."

House shook his head. And that place was supposed to be better for the kid?

Casey thought about her options. She could try to catch the next train to Princeton, but if the train was slow or overcrowded, it might take her a long time. Then she'd have to get a taxi from the train station. She decided there was a better and faster way to get there.

She threw some undies and a toothbrush into her oversized purse and left the apartment. She went right to the unmarked police car and knocked on the window. When they opened it, she spoke quickly.

"I just got a call. I know where she is. I'm going there now. Do you guys want to give me a ride?"

"Where is she? We'll pick her up."

"No, you won't. Because if I don't talk to her first, she's gonna run again. And next time we might not find her. So I'm not telling you where she is unless you let me talk to her first."

The older cop looked at his partner and the other man gave a slight nod.

"Get in."

She climbed in the back seat and they took off.

An hour later, they pulled up in front of House's apartment. The officers wanted to go in with her, but she protested.

"I need to convince her to go back to them. If she sees you guys, she's going to be scared. And I'm also not comfortable with her traveling back to Long Island with the two of you. She's going to be upset."

The younger officer said. "How about if we call Children's Services and get a woman to take her back?"

She smiled at him. "That would be great. Thanks."

The older cop wasn't happy, but he realized it was a good idea. "You have twenty minutes. No more. Then we come in. And we'll be watching the doors and windows."

"There's only one door. And I'm not planning on climbing out any windows. I just want my niece to be safe."

She left them and went inside, knocking on House's door. He opened it a few seconds later and let her in. She saw Tiffany sitting on sofa, eating a peanut butter sandwich.

"Tiffany!" Casey cried.

The girl put the food down and stared at her aunt. She swallowed, then said, "What happened to your face?"

House was ready to ask the same question since there was a large black and blue mark on her cheek.

"Nothing, I fell. Tif, are you okay?"

House was going to say something, but decided to wait until the child wasn't there.

"Yeah." The girl said, trying hold back, then she couldn't control herself and ran into Casey's arms.

"Oh sweetie," Casey said. "I was so worried about you."

"I hate them. I don't want to live with them. And I'm not going back to them."

Casey led her to the sofa and sat down with her. "Honey, I know, but you have to."

"No! You don't have to keep me, if you don't want me. I'll stay here with Doctor Greg."

Casey glanced at House, who grimaced and said, "I'm getting a drink."

"Honey, you can't. He doesn't have custody. The court won't allow it."

"Then I'll run away again. And no one will find me this time!"

Casey's eyes met House's. "Tif, listen to me. You have to go back to them. No, listen to me, I'm going to fight this. I'm going to get a lawyer, a good one and I'm going to fight and I'm going to get you back."

Tiffany looked at her with uncertainty. "What happens if you lose?"

Casey thought for a second, then said, "Then we run away together. We'll go to some island or somewhere."

Her niece's eyes lit up. "Really?"

"Really."

She glanced at House. "Doctor Greg, will you come with us?"

House smiled at her. "Sure, why not?"

Tiffany considered that. Finally, she said, "Okay, I'll go back for now. But only until you fight for me."

"Okay, deal."

"And if you lose, we run away together."

"Deal."

Just then, there was a knock at the door. House rose from the chair, saying, "I guess I'll get that."

He opened the door to the young police officer and a pleasant looking woman. He held out his arm as a gesture that they should enter.

The cop spoke, "Ms Landers, this is Mrs. Poth from Children's Services."

The woman smiled and approached the child. "Hello, Tiffany. I'm going to take you back to Long Island. Will that be alright?"

Tiffany shrugged. "I guess."

She rose and picked up her backpack from the floor. She went to Casey and put her arms around her.

"Remember, promise?"

"I promise."

She ran to House and hugged him as well. "Promise?"

"Promise."

She nodded and started out the door, then turned back once more. She looked at both of them and raised her hand to wave at them. "Goodbye."

"Bye, Tif." Casey said with a hitch in her voice.

"Bye, K." House said with a grin that he tried to use to cover his emotions.

They exited and he closed the door behind them, then looked at Casey. She stared back for a few moments, then sat on the sofa and let out a sigh.

"I hope I did the right thing."

"This time you did. It was the only thing you could do."

"Thanks."

"Were you serious about fighting for her?"

"Yes. And I need to get a really good lawyer." She looked at him. "But I don't have the money to pay for one.'

"I told you before that I'd give you the money."

'"I don't know when I'd be able to pay you back."

"I don't need you to pay me back."

"I don't get it. It could be a lot of money. Why would you do that for me?"

"Because, you moron, I'm in love with you!" he yelled.

She stared at him. "Really? Wow."

"Yeah." He avoided looking at her, afraid to see her reaction.

"Wow." She said again.

"Most people have more to say than 'wow.'"

She started to smile. "Oh, what do they have to say?"

"Nothing. Never mind. Just take the money and forget it."

She was smiling now. "You mean, they say something like, I love you too."

"Forget it!"

"Greg," she put her hand on his arm. "I love you too."

He looked at her now and saw the truth in her face. She fell into his arms and he held her tight to him.

"Now, do you want to tell me what really happened to your face?"

"I told you, I fell."

"No, you didn't. You're the most graceful person I know."

"Even graceful people fall sometimes."

"Then you would have called me, either laughing or mad at yourself to tell me about this amazing thing that happened to you. You didn't fall."

She moved away from him, sighing. "I guess I should know better than to try to keep anything from you. It's really not a big deal."

"Then why didn't you tell me before? And why can't you look at me?"

Still avoiding his eyes, she said, "It's nothing, I was mugged."

"That's not nothing. But still, why didn't you tell me?"

She stared at the floor. "I thought you'd be upset."

"I'd be worried about you, yeah. Why would I be upset?"

"Because I'm not living in a very nice neighborhood."

"I thought you were living with your friend Lara."

"Lani."

"Whatever."

"I was. But I couldn't afford to pay my way there. I moved in with some other friends, but they live in a neighborhood that's a little seedy. Well, actually, a lot seedy."

"Casey, why couldn't you afford to live with Lucy?"

"Lani. Because I can't find a goddamnned job! You know that show I'm in? The one you called a piece of crap? I'm not doing it because I'm waiting for the spring. I'm doing it because no one else will hire me. That show pays peanuts, but it's the only thing keeping me from starving."

"That doesn't make sense. You're terrific."

"Not anymore I'm not. I auditioned for everything, called in every favor I had. I used to be able to show up and directors would hire me for the chorus. They knew my work so well I didn't even have to audition.

"But I've lost it. I can't do what I used to do. I'm no longer a performer."

"You moron! You put your life in danger because you were too proud to ask for help! If you died, what good would you be to the kid? You should have…"

"Asked you for help? Yeah, and become even more pathetic than I already am? No, my pride wouldn't let me do that. Just like my pride wouldn't let me accept your help six months ago when I was losing Tiffany. Or to tell you how I feel about you when I wasn't sure how you felt about me."

He pulled her back into his arms, putting his lips close to hers as he prepared to kiss her. "No more secrets. I love you. And I'm helping you get the kid back, okay?"

"Okay." She said, surrendering to his kiss.

Later, as they lay together in his bed, he said. "So how bad was this mugging?"

She shrugged. "Not bad."

"Then explain to me how a 'not bad' mugging puts bruises all over your body."

She started to cry. He looked at her intensely. "Casey, tell me what happened."

In a whisper, she said, "They tried to rape me. They were robbing me and I didn't have any money, so they got pissed and said they were going to get something for their trouble."

"They? How many?"

"Three.'

Bastards, he thought.

"They hit me and threw me on the ground. They ripped my clothes and the first one was on me and was going to, you know. Then the one that was the lookout saw a police car coming, so they ran away. The police found me and took me to the hospital."

"Did they catch them?"

"No."

He could feel the anger fill him. He wanted to lash out. He wanted to lash out at the bastards that attacked her. Since they weren't there, he lashed out at the person who was there.

"You could have died! Did you even think about that? Did you think about leaving me alone without you?" he yelled at her.

The tears started running down her cheeks.

"Ah, baby." He pulled her closer to him. "You should have called me. I would have come up."

"I did call you. But you were busy with a case and I didn't want to bother you."

He remembered a few days ago when she had called him and he hadn't talked much. He'd been preoccupied with solving the mystery.

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay."

"How are we going to handle this? If you get her back, are you taking her to New York?"

"No. I'm going to move back here. She wants you in her life as much as she wants me."

"What about your Broadway career?"

"What career? I don't have one any longer."

"You're just in a slump."

She shook her head. "No, I'm not. I was wrong. Again. I didn't belong there. I belonged here with Tiffany. And with you. And that's where I'm staying."


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

The next morning, over coffee, they discussed what their plans should be.

"You need a good lawyer, someone who's tough and can beat the Pendleton's asshole." House told her.

"You're right. How do I find someone like that?"

"Let me make a few calls. I have some connections."

"Okay. And since you're paying for the lawyer, I'll leave it to you."

"People are better off when they follow my advice."

She smiled. "I just hope that will be good enough. I don't know what the legality is since I gave her up. A judge may not rule for me."

House stared at his coffee cup for a few moments before saying, "Maybe the judge would rule for you if you were giving her a real family to live in."

"What do you mean?"

"If we were married."

She looked at him, but he avoided her eyes. "Greg, that's very sweet, but I wouldn't think of forcing you to marry me just so that I could get Tiffany back."

He looked up then. "You're not forcing me. I just said it, didn't I?"

"But I know you have no interest in getting married."

"You know that, do you? And you've been so wise about everything else. You knew you didn't need a lawyer; that worked out real well. And you knew you had to go back to New York, that was a big success. I think you also knew that you shouldn't take help from me because you were handling things so well."

He rose from the table and stalked away from her. She called after him, "Greg, I didn't mean…"

She thought he was going to leave the apartment or avoid her, but a few moments later he returned.

"You know everything, don't you? Did you know about this?"

He threw something on the table. At first, she wasn't sure what it was, then she saw the black velvet jeweler's box.

"Wh-what's this?"

"You know everything, you should be able to figure it out."

Gingerly, she picked it up and carefully opened the box. Her eyes opened wide when she saw the beautiful diamond surrounded by emeralds.

"Oh, my God, Greg, it's beautiful! But when, how, why, when…?"

"Glad to see you're so articulate. I bought it before you went back to New York. I thought maybe we would, well, anyway."

She could barely speak as she looked at the ring and then looked at him. He was avoiding her eyes again.

"Anyway," he said, "If you don't want it, it's okay. We'll figure something else out."

"Why would you think I don't want it?"

"You didn't put it on. You didn't say yes. So, I figure it's no."

Tears started to fill her eyes. He saw them and felt really bad. Now he was making her cry.

"Just forget about it. You don't have to cry." He reached out to take the ring back, but her hand snatched it away from him.

"No, you don't mister, it's mine!"

He looked at her with a question in those blue, blue eyes.

"Greg, if you really want to marry a screwed-up moron like me, then who am I to stop you?"

He smiled, then stared at her still holding the box. "So if the answer's yes, is it the ring you don't like?"

"What?"

"Most women would have it on their fingers by now."

"When I put it on, I'm never taking it off. So I can't put it on right now."

"Why not?"

"Cause I'm not wearing it to New York."

His face fell. "You're going back to New York?"

She put her hand over his. "Just to get my stuff and end things there. Then I'm back here to stay. And, yes, Greg, I will be thrilled and honored to marry you."

Casey returned to New York the next day, packed up her stuff, quit the crappy show and hopped on the next train back to Princeton. While she was gone, House made a telephone call to help her with the lawyer search.

So a few days later, armed with the address of an attorney, she left for her appointment. She dressed conservatively in nice black slacks, a pale yellow blouse and a black short blazer. House had to work, but he left her his car and she drove to a well-maintained brick building in a town about twenty miles away. She didn't have the lawyer's name, just the address.

When she entered, she saw a receptionist sitting at the desk. The young woman looked at her, smiled and said, "May I help you?"

"Yes, my name is Casey Landers, I have an appointment, but I don't know the name of the attorney."

"That's okay, Ms Landers, I have your name here. Just a moment, please." She picked up the telephone handset and pushed a button on the phone. "Ms Landers is here….yes, of course."

She replaced the phone. "You can go in. It's the second door on the right."

"Thank you." Casey was about to ask the name of the attorney, but the woman's phone rang and she answered it, so she just went to the door indicated and opened it.

The office managed to be dignified and stylish at the same time, with a light wood desk and comfortable chairs in front of it. The woman sitting at the desk was bent over looking for something in the drawer when Casey entered. All she could see was a dark head, but then she rose quickly and approached Casey.

With a smile, she held out her hand. "Hello, you must be Ms Landers or may I call you Casey? I'm Stacy Warner."

Casey took her hand, impressed by the cool elegance. The attorney wore a well-tailored grey suit, her hair casually styled and her make-up understated, but perfect. She was older than Casey, but very attractive. Still, there was something that bothered Casey as she greeted the attorney.

"Hello, yes, I'm Casey Landers and you may call me Casey. Thank you for seeing me on such short notice."

Suddenly Casey saw a nervous look in the other woman's eyes and it clicked.

"Excuse me," Casey asked her. "By any chance, are you…"

"THAT Stacy? Yes, I am."

"Oh, no, he couldn't, he wouldn't!"

"He didn't. Please sit down and I'll explain."

Warily Casey sat in one of the chairs in front of the desk. Stacy took the one opposite her.

"He called me and explained your situation. He asked me to recommend someone who could handle your case. I thought about it. I considered several colleagues that would be good. But then I realized that wouldn't work."

"Why not?"

"Before I answer, let me ask you a question: If you regain custody of your niece, will Greg be a part of your lives?"

"Yes, he will. We're engaged. And Tiffany adores him."

"Of course she does. Congratulations, by the way. Then that's why. There isn't another lawyer in the state, hell, in the country who could meet Greg House and understand why he should be a part of that child's life. Or who could convince a judge of that."

Casey thought about that for a moment, then realized she was probably right. With a sigh, she said, "Unfortunately, that's true. But won't it be awkward for you? Or for Greg?"

"I don't know about Greg. But I'll be fine. What happened between Greg and I is in the past. It was difficult for awhile, but my husband and I have come through his illness and we're very happy. I will always love Greg, but I'm no longer in love with him. And since he has you, I assume he feels the same."

"I hope he does."

Stacy smiled. "I'm sure he does. But I do want Greg to be happy. And it seems his happiness depends on having you and your niece in his life. So let me help you get her back."

Casey nodded. "Okay, let's do it."

"You need to give me a retainer. Then I will be your lawyer and anything you tell me will be confidential."

"Greg is paying for you, so he gave me a check."

"That's fine."

They took care of the business portion, then Stacy sat back with a legal pad and began asking Casey questions.

"Start from the beginning. Tell me about your family, your relationship with your brother, your niece, everything."

So Casey told her about Rick and Beth's relationship, their children, her brother's will, the accident, meeting House, everything she could remember. When she got to the custody hearing, Stacy stopped her.

"I'm going to request the hearing transcript. I'd like to read that first. The next time we meet, I'll get your version of it. Oh, and Greg should attend our next meeting as well. He's going to be a part of this and I will need to work with him as well."

That evening, as they lay in bed together, discussing the day's events, House was still amazed that Stacy was representing them herself.

Casey told him what she'd said about being the only lawyer that could do it.

He huffed. "I'm surprised she only said the country. Why not the only lawyer in the world who could do it?"

"I actually asked her that. She said there might be lawyers in countries where you don't speak the language that would do it."

He looked at her. "I'm not sure I like this. I don't really need you bonding with my ex."

"You don't want us comparing notes?'

"Unless you're talking about my sexual prowess, then no.'

She laughed and snuggled closer to him. "She couldn't tell me anything that would make me love you less."

"Remember those words." He said with a smirk, then kissed her to stop the talking and move on to better things.


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

The next time Casey went to meet with Stacy, House went with her. Stacy rose when they entered her office to greet them. She looked at House who glanced at her briefly, before averting his eyes.

"Hello, Greg," She said. "How are you?'

"Good." He replied as he took a seat in one of the comfy chairs.

Stacy returned to her desk and sat down. "Well, you should know that I filed the petition for custody. Their attorney should have received it by now and informed his clients."

"Will this be hard? I mean, because I gave her up?"

"It will be more of a challenge. But the fact that you did not have an attorney present and were not properly informed of the legalities will weigh in your favor. I also plan to use the way Philip Hess coerced you without a lawyer to advise you. Don't worry, we're going to do this."

Casey took a deep breath and nodded. "Okay, good, thanks."

Stacy hesitated before asking, "Casey, would you mind if I spoke to Greg in private?"

"Why?" Casey asked her warily.

"Because I have to convince a judge that Greg should be one of the guardians of a child. I need to be convinced that it is a good idea."

"Why can't you do that with me in the room?"

House watched this exchange between the two women. He understood why Stacy needed to speak to him privately, but also why Casey was unsure about it.

"It's okay," He told his fiancée. "Let me talk to her alone. It won't take long."

Casey looked into those blue eyes and saw the truth in them. "Okay, if you want to."

She left the office and sat in the reception area. She picked up a magazine and leafed through it, but didn't really see the words. She was consumed by curiosity as to what they were talking about.

In Stacy's office, House said, "If you're looking for a quickie, you're out of luck. I'm taken."

Stacy gave him a nervous smile. "Greg, I need you to talk to me honestly. That's why I asked Casey to leave. I want you to feel you can talk to me without holding back."

He just stared at her, letting her continue.

"You're going to marry Casey and if she regains custody of her niece, you will essentially be that child's father."

"And?"

"And I need to know you're prepared for that."

"Or what? You won't represent Casey? You'll do a crappy job so she loses? Or you'll talk Casey out of marrying me?"'

"Of course not. I've accepted this case and I'll work my butt off to win. But how are you going to feel if I do?"

"I'm paying for you! Do you think I called you because you're a loser?"

"I don't know. Maybe you do." There was uncertainty in her expression.

He sighed. "I always knew your capabilities. And I always admired them. I know you can win this case."

"And if I do? What then?"

"Then the woman I love will be happy."

"Is that all?"

He looked at the floor, afraid as always to admit his feelings. "And a kid that's pretty cool and I …like, gets to live with people who care about her."

He looked at her now and in those blue eyes that she had once known so well, she saw what he couldn't say and knew the truth.

She smiled. "Okay. Then let's do this."

She went to the door and called Casey back in. Casey looked between the two of them, still curious about what had happened.

"Relax." House told her. "There wasn't enough time for a quickie. All she could manage to give me was a hand job."

"Greg." Stacy said sternly. "It's alright, Casey, I just needed to get some assurances from him. Everything's fine. Sit down and let's discuss how we're going to proceed."

Casey returned to the chair she had occupied before, still glancing at House for reassurance. He gave her a quick smile, but it held a lot of what he was feeling and she started to relax.

"I've reviewed the transcript from the hearing." Stacy began. "And I have to say, I am absolutely appalled at Hess's behavior. He knew exactly what he was going to do as soon as he realized you didn't have a lawyer. But we'll use that."

"Stacy, Muffy won't let me visit her any longer."

"Why not?"

"Because I told her off. I know that was stupid, but she accused Greg of being a pedophile and she made me so angry."

Stacy was shocked. Knowing House as well as she had, she knew how ludicrous that idea was.

Casey told her everything that had happened on her last visit to Tiffany.

Stacy thought about it for a few moments, then said, "Okay, unfortunately she's right about Greg. Oh, not the pedophile stuff, of course, but the communication. For the time being, she's her guardian and she can control whom Tiffany has contact with. We could fight that, but right now we have bigger fish to fry. But she does not have the right to stop Casey's visit. The court allowed it, it was set up as part of the custody agreement. I'll get that taken care of right away. I'll try to get you more visits, too if I can, but again, the most important fight is regaining custody."

Casey told her about Tiffany's unhappiness at the Pendleton's home and how she was basically being ignored.

Then House chimed in with Tiffany's account of her aunt and uncle's indiscretions. Stacy was very happy to hear that.

"Good. I'll get a private investigator to check that out. It shouldn't be too hard to get proof."

"Why do you need a P.I.?" House asked. "The kid can tell you. She knows it all."

"The court might not believe her. She's a child, she's unhappy and she wants to be with you and Casey. It would be too easy to dismiss her testimony. But if a licensed investigator testifies, with proof, he'll be believed."

"Call the newspapers. Or the TV news. The guy's running for office. They're not going to want that stuff publicized."

"No, they won't. But alerting the media at this point isn't going to gain us any advantage. We gather the information, with proof. Then we let them know that we have it. And if we need to use it, we will. We can't reveal our hand too early. The longer we hold on to it, the more power we have."

"Okay, makes sense." House agreed.

"Now the transcript states that they did a psychological evaluation."

"Yeah, that was so helpful!" House said sarcastically.

"The main thing the woman kept asking her was if Greg had ever tried to molest her." Casey added.

"Well, they had an agenda and they were out to prove it any way they could." Stacy told them. "I'd like to get another psych exam done, using our own doctor."

"I don't know, I don't want to upset Tiffany."

"We won't, Casey. There's a doctor I usually work with who's very good. And this will help our case, especially since you say she's unhappy. We need to be able to show that her state of mind has deteriorated since she moved in with them."

"Okay." Casey said. "As long as it doesn't upset her."

"She'll be okay." House told her. "She's tough."

They discussed some more aspects of the case for awhile and then finally, House and Casey rose and said goodbye to Stacy. She promised to get in touch with Casey soon about the visitation rights.


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Christmas arrived a few days later. While Casey still didn't feel they had a lot to celebrate without Tiffany, she was still glad to be with House. They celebrated with Wilson, who was really excited about their engagement.

"Have you set a date?" he asked them.

"No." Casey told him. "We can't do it without Tiffany. She would be so disappointed if she couldn't be there. Once we have her back, we'll set a date."

Remembering how the girl had tried to play matchmaker between them, Wilson said, "I think she'll be thrilled either way."

"Probably."

"Well, do you have any ideas though about what kind of wedding you want?"

"We haven't really talked about it. Everything has been about the case. But I don't think I want anything too big or crazy. Something simple. What do you think Greg?"

"Whatever." House said.

"I'm not exactly the white dress and orange blossoms type. Our wedding will have to be a bit unconventional, right Greg?"

"Whatever." House said.

"Like the groom." Wilson added. "Well, I'll be happy to help you with anything you'd like."

"Yeah," House quipped. "He's got the most experience, having done it so many times himself. Just make sure to remind him that he's not the groom this time, only the best man."

Wilson stared at him. "Is that your way of asking me to be your best man?"

"Whatever." House said.

Wilson and Casey shared a smile and began discussing wedding options. House looked at them in confusion, then said, "While you girls pour over Bride's magazine, I'm going to watch the football game."

He moved to the sofa and turned on the TV. Wilson shook his head and Casey blew House a kiss.

Wilson had one more question. "Where are you guys going to live?"

House looked around the apartment. "You do see the walls and furniture, don't you? Or are you in some virtual reality world where nothing is real?"

"You can't live here."

"Why not?"

"Where's Tiffany going to sleep?"

House glanced at the sofa.

Casey had been considering what Wilson had said, and with House's reaction, she cried out, "Greg! Of course she can't sleep on the sofa!"

"Why not?"

"She's a twelve-year-old girl!" Wilson and Casey said almost in unison.

"I guess we could move back to my brother's house." Casey ventured.

House was adamant. "No way. I'm not living life tiptoeing around a museum."

She sighed. "I guess that's one more thing we're going to have to discuss."

House was silent, concentrating on the game. Wilson's glance headed that way too.

Casey saw him and said, "Go watch the game, James. Wedding plans can wait for now. I ate too much, I need to take a little nap."

The next day, Stacy called with the news that she had gotten the visitation rights restored. Still monthly for now, but at least that was something.

So in early January, House and Casey drove up to Long Island. She asked him to wait at the house, since she knew that Tiffany would appreciate it.

And of course, Tiffany immediately ran to the window and was visibly happier when she saw House there.

Casey motioned her to sit down beside her.

"Tif, I got a lawyer, a good one. She's already petitioned the court for us to regain custody of you."

"I know. I heard Aunt Muffy talking to Uncle Thad. They were pretty mad. But they still think their lawyer is better."

"He's not. We're going to win. Just wait and see."

Tiffany smiled at her. "Okay, I trust you. But remember, if you lose, we leave."

"Absolutely. And there's something else I want to tell you."

"What?" the girl asked warily.

Casey held out her hand with the diamond ring. Tiffany's eyes grew wide at the sight.

"What's that?"

"An engagement ring. Greg and I are getting married."

"Oh, oh, that's, oh, my gosh, oh!"

Casey smiled at her. "Now he'll be your uncle."

"When are you getting married?"

"As soon as you're back home with us. We wouldn't think of getting married without you there."

Tiffany hugged her and Casey was so relieved to have her niece's love once again.

"Okay, honey, but there's one thing you have to do for us."

"What?"

"Stop emailing Greg."

"No! He's my friend."

"Tif, it's going to jeopardize the case. You have to stop. Remember, pretty soon you're going to be with us, and you'll see him everyday. But right now, it could be trouble. Please?"

She sighed. "I guess."

Casey handed her a folded piece of paper. "Greg wrote you a note. Read it, then give it back to me."

Tiffany carefully unfolded the paper and read the words written in House's handwriting:

**K Mart,**

**You can't email me right now. When Casey has custody again, we'll talk. Until then, be smart kid.**

**Later.**

Tiffany read it over several times before handing it back to Casey.

"We'll be okay, sweetie." Casey told her. "I promise."

"I know. We'll be okay."

When Casey rejoined House in the car, she was more relaxed than she had been in a long time.

"I think this is going to work. We're going to get her back and everything is going to be wonderful."

"I don't know much about wonderful, but I think we'll get her back."

She smiled and rested her head against the back of the seat. Life was back on track and things were looking up.


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

Casey spent the next three weeks trying to get ready for the hearing. She brought Stacy all the documents she had from her brother's will, letters, etc. She went over what was going to happen at the hearing. Stacy had the mediation with Hess and had scheduled the hearing. She was waiting for the private investigator to come back with a report and she was trying to schedule the psych exam for Tiffany.

Casey found herself exhausted at the end of each day, even though she really wasn't doing very much. She assumed it was the stress of the upcoming hearing and worrying about whether she would get Tiffany back.

When House came home from the hospital for the fifth day in a row to find her in bed, he started to worry. At first he thought she was reverting to the depression that had gripped her right after she'd given up her niece. But she didn't seem at all depressed. In fact, she was really optimistic and working a lot with Stacy to prepare for the hearing.

As other ideas began to circulate in his brain, she got up and greeted him with a kiss.

He kissed her back, then asked, "Want pizza?"

She went a little green at the word, and said, "I'm really not hungry. You get one if you want. I'm just going to have a yogurt."

He watched her as she walked away from him. He swore under his breath, then followed her. He stopped as he saw her reach into the fridge and pull out the yogurt cup. She stared at it for a moment, sighed and returned it to the fridge.

"You know," he said, "You'll need to keep up your strength if you're eating for two."

She whirled around. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"You're tired all the time, nauseous all the time and boobs have gotten bigger. You're pregnant."

"That's ridiculous! I'm on the pill."

"Yeah, well, then…"

"I'm not pregnant."

"When was your last period?"

"Well, it was… it was, just, last, I mean…"

He sighed. "Have you had one since you moved back here?'

"Well, sure… I think…" she thought about it for a few moments, then said, "Actually, I don't think I have. But I've been under a lot of stress with the hearing coming up. That's why I'm so tired and sick to my stomach."

"Right, that's why." House said in a flat voice,

She stared at him, thinking some more. "Oh, God, you might be right!"

She sat down, in a state of shock. House watched her for a few minutes, before he finally said in a low voice, "Is it mine?"

She snapped her head up. "You bastard! How dare you?"

She stormed away from him, but he followed her. "Casey, talk to me."

"Did you think I slept around when I was in New York? I was living with some guys so I must have been putting out for them? How dare you!"

"I don't think any of that! But you were raped."

"I wasn't raped, I told you."

"Casey…"

"I know you think I'm a moron, but I think I would know if I'd been raped or not. I was NOT raped."

"The cops took you to the hospital."

"Because I had cuts and bruises and had been thrown on the dirty sidewalk. They even examined me – I wasn't raped. All they did was clean up the cuts and give me an antibiotic."

"Wait, they gave you an antibiotic?"

"Yes, in case there was any infection from the dirt in my cuts."

"And you finished the prescription?"

"Of course. I learned from you that you should always do what your doctor tells you."

She stormed into the bedroom, leaving him behind, as he nodded his head.

She lay down on the bed and a few minutes later, she heard the door open and close. She wondered where he had gone and hoped it wasn't to some bar. But about twenty minutes later, she heard him return. Then she heard the piano. She fell asleep to the sound.

When he came to bed a few hours later, she woke up. She turned to him and he pulled her close to him.

"It was the antibiotics." He said.

"What was?"

"That's how you got pregnant."

"Antibiotics made me pregnant?"

"Not by themselves. But when you're on the pill, and you take antibiotics, they negate the effects of it. Most doctors advise patients to use additional birth control during the course of them."

"And I came down here two days after I started them!"

He nodded. "And we had some wild monkey sex that night."

"Oh, God."

"I bought you a present."

She stared at him, confused.

"A pregnancy kit. Use it in the morning. First morning pee is the best to find out if you're pregnant."

"You just said I am."

"No reason not to be sure."

She nodded and cuddled closer to him. He held her as they both fell asleep.

The next morning, they sat together on the edge of the bathtub waiting for a little stick to turn color. When it did, they looked at each other and took a deep breath.

"Well, so that's it." House said.

She hesitated, then said, "Greg, I know we never discussed this. And you didn't sign on for a baby. I'll understand if you…"

"Shut up. I signed on for you." He shrugged. "Whatever else that means, we'll handle."

She put her arms around him. "I love you."

"Do you have a doctor?" he asked her as they drank their coffee.

"Sure, I have you." She said with a grin.

He smirked and said, "No, I mean do you have an OB/GYN?"

"Not here. I have one in New York, but I haven't been back to him in a long time. I just went to the clinic to get the pill refills."

"Good, that works."

"What works? What are you talking about?"

"I can find the best obstetrician at Princeton Plainsboro. We should find one that isn't totally incompetent."

"Wait, you're choosing my doctor for me?"

"Yep."

"Greg, it's MY doctor for MY body."

"For MY baby and MY woman."

She really couldn't fight with him on that. And she was touched that he cared about her and the baby. Though she was still worried that he was hiding his real feelings about it. But knowing Greg House, she would find out how he felt eventually.'

"Okay, you find a doctor you like and if I like him or her as well, then we're good to go."

He opened his mouth to disagree with her, but figured he could wait until it was necessary to let her know that wasn't the way it would happen.

When House came home from the hospital that day, he told Casey, "You have an appointment tomorrow at ten with Dr. Vitelli."

"Greg, I said I would decide who my doctor should be. It's my body, after all."

He stopped and sat down next to her on the sofa. "Tell me the top five longest running Broadway musicals in order."

She looked at him strangely, then said, "One, Phantom of the Opera, two, Cats, three, Les Miz, four, A Chorus Line and five, Oh Calcutta – the revival. Why?"

"Because that's your world, your expertise. If I wanted to hire a dancer, for some reason, I'd ask for your opinion. It's what you know."

He stared at her for a moment before continuing. "Medicine is my world, my expertise. It's what I know."

"Among other things."

"True. But I did the research. I checked out all the OB/GYN's at the hospital. I checked their references, their experience. Vitelli is the best we have. She's the best around. She's handled many difficult pregnancies and had good results."

Casey started to panic. "Do you think mine will be difficult?"

"Probably not. But you are almost forty. Things can go wrong at your age. You have to be prepared. And you have to have the best doctor you can find."

So Casey met with Dr. Vitelli the next day. And found, to her surprise, that she liked the woman.

Carla Vitelli was forty-three years old, a down to earth, no-nonsense woman. When she met Casey, she talked to her honestly about her pregnancy. And about House.

"Doctor House is your…"

"My fiancé. And the baby's father."

"That's what I thought. I don't know him personally, but I certainly know of him. His reputation at this hospital makes him very well-known."

"And you still agreed to take my case?"

Vitelli smiled. "I consider it an honor. And a challenge. House is not someone I'd want to work with, but he's brilliant. And one of the best doctors in the state, if not the best. If he chose me to bring his child in the world, well, he must have some respect for me. And that's an honor I can't refuse.

"Besides, if I have a case I need to refer to him, I'd rather have him on my side."

Both women smiled and Vitelli continued her examination. Then she sat and spoke to Casey about what she should expect. She asked her about her family history and was amazed to find out that her family was almost all dead.

"Any illnesses among your family?"

"No, but my parents died in their late forties. They were in a plane crash."

"Oh, I'm sorry. How about siblings?"

"My brother died about two years ago in an auto accident. He was forty-two."

Vitelli was not sure what to say after that, so she just moved on to Casey's own medical history. Casey answered her honestly.

"Are you in good health basically?"

"Oh, yes."

"You seem to be in good physical shape. Do you exercise?"

"Well, I'm a dancer. Or at least, I was."

"Dancer? What kind?"

"Broadway."

"Oh, well, then, you're probably in great shape. Broadway performers need a lot of stamina to do what they do every night. You still work out?"

"Not as much lately. I've been so tired."

"Well, keep dancing. You don't have to do a strenuous workout, but if you've danced all your life, a dance workout is normal for you and will keep you healthy through this pregnancy. Just monitor yourself, don't overdo, keep hydrated and let me know if you have any problems."

Casey nodded. Then Vitelli gave her a prescription for vitamins and told her to make an appointment for one month from then.

Casey left the doctor's office, with a myriad of thoughts going through her head.


	27. Chapter 27

**Sorry for the delay! I was away last weekend and spent the rest of this week getting caught up on my life! But I met some of the other great OC writers on my trip and I need to tell everyone that as great as their stories are, the writers are even more awesome! Thanks to gorblimey, gertrude, souleswanderer, and glenlivet -- we had a blast!  
**

Chapter 27

Casey had another meeting with Stacy the next morning and knew she had to be honest with her lawyer. It could hurt the case if she didn't disclose everything and it came out later.

So, as soon as they settled in the attorney's office, she said, "I need to tell you something."

Stacy looked up, concerned. "What's the matter?"

Casey took a deep breath, then said, "I just found out that I'm pregnant. I don't know if that's going to affect the case, but I thought you should know."

Stacy stared at her for a few moments, unable to speak. Finally, she regained her composure. "Well, that will be an interesting twist. It could be negative or positive, depending on the judge. One might say you won't have time for Tiffany with a new baby. But another might say you're providing her with a sibling and a real family. And that, of course, is how we'll play it."

Casey nodded, relieved that her pregnancy wouldn't hurt her case. She was still getting used to the idea herself and didn't want the added stress of worrying if it would hurt her chances of regaining Tiffany.

Stacy avoided talking about the baby and started to drill Casey on questions that she thought the other lawyer would ask.

Casey was overwhelmed by the questions. "He's not going to ask me about our sex life!"

"Did you forget that this is the man who talked you into signing Tiffany away? He's going to ask that and more. And even if he doesn't, isn't it better to be prepared for it?"

"I guess."

They continued for the rest of the hour that Stacy had scheduled for her.. Before she left, Stacy told her, "You know, I'm going to have to practice this with Greg as well."

"Oh, God." Casey said.

"I know."

"Well, this has exhausted me. I'm going home to get a nap."

They said goodbye and Casey left the office. Stacy sat back in her chair and thought for a few minutes. Then she checked her schedule, but she didn't have any appointments until the afternoon. She grabbed her coat and purse and left her office. As she passed the receptionist, she said, "I'll be back in about an hour."

"Fine, Ms Warner."

Stacy got in her car and drove a familiar route. When she pulled into the parking lot of Princeton Plainsboro hospital, she parked the car and took a deep breath. Was she nuts coming here? But she knew she had to do this. She wouldn't have any peace personally or professionally if she didn't.

Still, she hesitated, wondering if she should go into the hospital. After all, she had worked there for several months and many people knew her. They also knew of her relationship with House.

But presumably, some of those same people might know that she was representing House and Casey at the custody hearing, so she had an excuse for being there.

At least that was what she could tell anyone who asked.

She made her way to the fourth floor and the Diagnostics office. He was with his team in the conference room. She stopped and waited, staying back a bit. But she knew that he saw her. Moments later, his team departed, she assumed, to do tests.

He went into his office and so did she. His blue eyes bore into her as he said, "I take it you met with Casey today and she told you the big news."

"Yes."

"Is it going to hurt the case?"

"It shouldn't."

He nodded and they were silent for a time. Finally, he said, "So, if you're not here to warn me about the case, you must be here to congratulate me."

She was still silent.

He waited and was about to speak again when she said, "Are you sure you're going to be able to handle this?"

"Handle what?"

"This, all of this. A wife, a baby, an adolescent girl."

"Doesn't matter if I can. I will."

"It does matter."

"Okay," he agreed, "Maybe it does. But why does it matter to you?"

"Because I'm going before a judge and telling him that you should let this young girl into your life."

"No, that's not why. You're a lawyer. You've gone before a judge before representing people you didn't believe in, hell, some you didn't like. You don't care if I can handle it now. You want to know why I couldn't handle it with you."

She was silent again.

"You said you didn't want kids." He said quietly.

"I know."

"Was that a lie?"

"No. I don't know. I guess I wanted you to want kids. Maybe I just wanted a choice. I never felt that I had one."

"You never said that…"

"I know! I never said. Because I never felt you would want me to say it. But here you are today with a woman at least ten years younger than me – she's carrying your baby and bringing a pre-teen into your life as well and you haven't run screaming into the hills yet."

"Can't really run that well anymore."

She stared at him."

"What do you want me to say, Stacy?"

"I don't know!"

"If you want me to tell you I love you or her more, I'm not going to. We were what we were. It was and it's over. Casey is now and tomorrow."

"I know." She said quietly. "And I am truly happy for you, Greg. I like her and I think she's good for you."

"But."

She sighed. "But I'm worried that you'll go crazy with all of that and drive her away."

"Why is that your problem?"

"It's not, I know. I don't know why I came."

"I do. This, all of this, Casey, the kid, the baby, is destroying the nice little fantasy you had."

"What are you talking about?"

"The fantasy that you were the love of my life and I will never be happy without you. It's very comforting to know there's a man out there who will always love you. It also still gives you an escape route."

"I don't want an escape. Mark and I are very happy. I've moved on. I'm over you."

"Good, great! I'm over you too. And I've moved on too. Why isn't that enough for you?"

She turned away and didn't look at him as she said, "I'm not in love with you anymore, but I will always love you."

"Me too."

She turned and saw the truth of what he said in the blue eyes. She went to him and put her arms around him.

"Thank you, Greg. I guess I just needed to know that it's the past."

"It's the past."

"I know." She smiled. "Okay, I need to get back to work. Oh, and I will need you in my office sometime this week."

"Why?"

"To go over questions their attorney might ask."

"Crap."

"Believe me, I am not looking forward to it. But it has to be done. If you're serious about wanting Tiffany, I'd better see you there."

He nodded. She smiled once more and said goodbye.

After she left, he stayed where he was for a time, thinking about her words, what used to be, what could have been and what was. Then he moved back to his desk and sat, just as Wilson walked in.

"Was that Stacy in here?"

"Yep."

"Why?"

"She's representing Casey in the custody hearing."

"I know that, but why was she here?"

"Instead of paying for her legal services, she's taking it out in trade."

Wilson gave him a look.

"Stacy found out something about Casey today and so Stacy is worried about me with Casey."

"What did she find out?"

"Have you noticed that I seem to fall for women whose names rhyme with 'asy'. I guess I'd better avoid anyone named Lacey or Macy or I could be in trouble. Although, I have to admit, if I met someone named Racey, I'd have to check that out."

"House!"

"But I definitely wouldn't want a Tracy. Too immature."

"What about Casey?"

"She rhymes, it's okay."

"Fine, don't tell me. I'm leaving." He turned and started for the door.

"She's pregnant."

Wilson turned quickly. "Wait…what? Casey's pregnant?"

House gave him a little smile.

Wilson thought for another second, then added. "And Stacy came here to talk about that? Oh, boy."

"You got it."


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

When House came home, he found Casey taking a nap on the sofa. She woke up to his kiss.

"Hi!" She said with a smile, putting her arms around his neck. "How was your day?"

"Good. How was yours?" He kissed her, then moved away to go to the kitchen for a beer.

"Fine. I met with Stacy. I told her about the baby. She said it shouldn't hurt the case." She sat up and stretched

"Yeah, I know."

She looked at him quizzically as he came out of the kitchen and sat down beside her. "How did you know?"

"I talked to Stacy."

"You did? Today?"

"Yeah. She came by the hospital."

"Why?"

"Why what?" he picked up the remote and turned on the TV.

"Why did she go to the hospital? Was she sick?"

"No, she wanted to talk to me." He started to scan the channels for something to watch.

"Does she do that often?"

"Nope. First time since she stopped working there."

Casey waited for him to say more, but he didn't. She thought about why today of all days, Stacy would need to speak with him. She went into the kitchen to get a glass of water. As she was filling the glass, she compared the beautiful and successful Stacy to herself, and the comparison didn't make her look good.

She returned to the living room, but didn't sit down. She just stood there and stared at him.

House was watching Orange County Choppers and didn't pay any attention to her, until he realized she was just standing there.

He turned his head and looked at her. "What?"

Her eyes were beginning to fill with tears and she was trying hard to hold them back. Finally, she composed herself enough to ask, "Do you wish I was more like Stacy?"

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Do you wish I was more like Stacy?"

"No. I don't need to lose another leg. I only have one good one left."

"She's beautiful—"

"So are you."

"—And smart and successful."

"Big deal. You're smart about stuff. Just not legal stuff."

"I don't even have a job!"

"Sure you do – you're my sex slave."

She started to cry then.

He rolled his eyes. "Ah, come on. I was joking! Will you stop?"

She just continued to cry. He sighed then and rose reluctantly from the sofa. He went to her and pulled her into his arms.

"It's just the pregnancy hormones, getting you all emotional."

She shook her head. "No, it's me. I'm a loser! A failed performer who couldn't even manage to hold on to the child that had been entrusted to her. And now I'll soon be fat as well. I have no money, no job. My whole life is dependent on you!"

"And is that a bad thing? It means I am all powerful, as I should be."

"It means I'm a loser."

"It means you have a lot going on right now. The most important being getting Tiffany back. And then being an incubator for my kid."

She nodded, but he could tell that she wasn't convinced. He wasn't convinced either and didn't know what else to say. So he concentrated on the TV and his beer.

*************************************************************************************

Casey began to look into other living options for them. She knew that her brother's house was definitely a possibility, but it was a last resort. House was adamantly opposed to that idea.

"Where are you going to put the baby?" he asked her.

"There are four bedrooms in the house."

"Are you going to redecorate your nephews' room for the baby?"

She hesitated and he had his answer. He shook his head and said, "You can't stick a crib in the middle of a room filled with their sports trophies and rock posters. It won't work. We can't live there."

So she went to a real estate agent. House hadn't really said anything about buying, and anyway, right now, they needed someplace quickly. If they got Tiffany back, they had to have a place to take her. Stacy had been bugging her about it as well.

House told her to just find someplace temporary and not to worry about it being perfect. Once they had Tiffany, they could find a permanent place.

She found that they could rent a townhouse and be in there within a few weeks. She found one with three bedrooms since they might still be there when the baby came. It was two floors and Casey worried about the stairs, but since it was temporary, House was okay with that, so they signed the lease.


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

Stacy had been insisting that House come with Casey to her office so that they could go over his testimony. He grumbled and complained and put it off as long as he could with as many excuses as he could think of. And he could think of a lot.

Every time they scheduled an appointment, he conveniently had a patient or an emergency or something. Casey was getting upset. The hearing was fast approaching and Stacy needed to coach him beforehand.

She decided she needed some help with this, so she called Wilson. Within a few minutes, they had come up with a plan.

When House came home form work, Casey was in the kitchen instead of napping, which was unusual.

"Hi," she said, going to him and kissing him on the mouth before going back to her cooking.

"What's the occasion?" he asked.

"I was talking to James today. And I invited him to come for dinner. So I'm cooking."

"Why is he coming to dinner?"

"Because I asked him. He'll be here any minute. Oh, and he's bringing a friend."

"Are you doing some matchmaking or something? Because I know he hasn't been seeing anyone."

"Nope, no matchmaking. He said he was bringing a friend."

Just then there was a knock at the door. Casey had a lasagna pan in her hand, so House went to the door.

Wilson smiled and handed him a six-pack of beer. House took it and looked behind him. "Where's your friend that you're supposed to be bringing?''

"She's right behind me." He stepped inside to move out of the way and Stacy walked in behind him.

"Hello, Greg." She said.

House scowled at her. "I'm the doctor. I'm supposed to make house calls. Never heard of a lawyer doing that."

"When your client is as sick as you are, you have to make exceptions. And I am billing you for this."

"Great, 'cause I'm billing you for the dinner."

"No you're not, Greg." Casey told him. "Come on in, Stacy. Dinner will be ready any minute. I thought we'd eat first."

"That's fine."

"Eat before what?" House asked.

"Before running through your testimony."

"I'm out of here." House headed for the door.

"No you're not!" Wilson said, standing up and getting ready to tackle his friend if necessary.

"Greg, if you walk out now, don't bother coming back." Casey said.

House drew a deep breath. Even if he could manage to get past Wilson, he had a feeling that he wouldn't get by Casey's anger.

"Fine. But I'm not going to enjoy dinner."

The rest of them did though. They chatted and laughed, even as House ignored them. He wouldn't even sit with them, taking his plate and beer into the living room and turning on the TV.

But when they finished, Casey turned off the TV and sat beside him, while Stacy took the chair. Wilson stood, close to the front door, in case his friend tried to make a run for it.

"Greg, we just need to prepare you for the questions you will probably be asked." Stacy told him.

"Fine. Just do it now and finish as soon as you can so that I can go to sleep. Wait, isn't that what you say?" He asked Stacy.

"Only to you." She answered. The others just glared at him. He sighed and sat back against the sofa.

"Alright, I'm going to ask you questions Hess might ask. Dr. House, you are engaged to marry Ms Landers. If she regains custody, are you prepared to accept an adolescent girl into your life?"

"Oh, will the kid be living with us? I thought she'd have her own apartment by then."

"Greg, please be serious. Hess is going to…"

"He's not going to ask me if I'm ready to 'accept her into my life' unless he's a really lame lawyer. And from what I saw at the last hearing, he's not."

Stacy was silent, then she glanced at Casey and Wilson before returning her gaze to House. "You're right. He probably won't ask that. What he's going to do is try to get you off-balance. If he's done his homework, and I'm sure he has, he knows your reputation and would like nothing better than to get you to lose it on the stand."

House nodded. "So this intervention isn't really to prepare what I should say. It's to prepare what I shouldn't say. Namely anything. You want me to keep my mouth shut."

The three of them looked at each other. Wilson spoke up first. "House, remember your trial. You weren't convicted for drugs, but you were convicted of contempt and still spent the night in jail."

"The stakes are higher here." Stacy added. "This won't just get you a contempt charge and a night in jail. It could cost you the case. If the judge thinks you're unstable, he could rule against you."

"Why would anyone think I'm unstable?"

The three of them stared at him.

"What?" he asked.

Wilson coughed, Casey sighed and Stacy just shook her head.

"Greg, you need to focus on the goal here. That goal is getting Tiffany back into Casey's custody. To that end, you need to do whatever is necessary. Do you understand me?" Stacy asked him.

"Got it."

"Are you sure?"

"I said I got it. Am I finished?"

"I guess."

"Good." He said and went into the bedroom, shutting the door behind him.

About half an hour later, Wilson and Stacy left. Casey took a deep breath and went into the bedroom. She saw House in bed reading.

"I know that you didn't like all that, but--"

"You want to know what I didn't like? I didn't like my fiancée and my best friend tricking me into talking to a lawyer who also happens to be my ex. I also don't like being told I'm some madman who doesn't know how to behave in public."

Casey went to him. "Greg, please, this is important."

He looked at each of them standing there, staring at him. "So, I'm going to screw up the case, right? Why don't I just stay home?"

"Because Stacy told me that Hess already has you on his list to question. You have to be there. And she said that he won't let anything slide. He'll ask about the Vicodin, how many times patients have sued you, how many times you've been fired from jobs. He'll try to use all of it to prove to the judge that you shouldn't be a guardian for that child."

House was silent for a time, avoiding her eyes. When he finally looked at her, he said quietly, "Maybe I shouldn't be."

"What are you talking about?"

He shrugged. "Nothing."

"Greg, are you having second thoughts about taking all of this on? Because if you are, you need to let me know."

He looked away before saying, "I just don't know what kind of father I'm going to be. I didn't have the best example growing up."

She sat down on the bed and sighed. "Do you think I'm not scared too? I'm almost forty years old and I'm pregnant. I never thought I'd have a child, now I'm pregnant at this age and taking on a twelve-year old as well and getting married too. I'm terrified! And I don't even know if I'll last long enough to be a part of it all!"

"What the hell does that mean? Why won't you last? Is there something wrong?"

"No, nothing like that. Oh, I shouldn't have said anything."

"Said anything about what?"

She rubbed her hands together as she spoke. "My parents were in their forties when they died in a plane crash. My brother was forty-two when he was killed in that auto accident. All of my immediate family died violently before their fiftieth birthday. That doesn't bode well for me."

The look on his face was incredulous. "Seriously? You think that you're destined to die violently in a few years because your family did?"

She shrugged. "It could happen."

"And I could win the Humanitarian of the Year award too, but I don't see that happening either."

She didn't speak, so he continued. "I don't believe any of that destiny, pre-determined bullshit. Your family died, yeah, that sucks, but it wasn't some cosmic force that caused it."

"I'm just saying."

"You're just full of hormones and nervous about this hearing."

She looked up at him then. "That's why I need your support with this. I need you to be someone I can depend on."

"I'm not good at that."

"But you are! I've been depending on you for months now, and you've been there for me."

"You were almost raped and I was too busy to come up!"

"If I'd told you what happened, you would have."

He thought for a moment, then said, "Maybe. But I can't guarantee it. The case usually comes first with me."

"Greg, I understand that. That's your job – and your obsession. I know that. I also know that you love me. At least, I think I know that."

He nodded. "You know that."

She smiled. "I know. But if you don't believe in destiny, don't believe that anything is pre-ordained, then how can you believe you won't be a good father? What your father did or did not do to you has nothing to do with how you will be with your children."

He nodded, but she could see that he still wasn't convinced. However, he put down his book, turned over and closed his eyes.

"Turn off the light, will you?" he told her.


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

Casey was bothered by House's words. Also, his behavior was unusual – even for him. He didn't want to talk about the hearing, Tiffany, the wedding, moving, actually, anything at all. He came home late from work, claiming there was a patient and would turn on the TV to avoid conversation.

Knowing that he needed his space, Casey let it go for a while, hoping that he would work through whatever was bothering him. This wasn't a man that you bothered with questions about his feelings. Still, she was growing more and more concerned.

She was starting to pack for the move to the town house. So far, House had shown no interest at all in packing or the move. He hadn't even seen the town house, allowing her to choose it. He signed the lease and wrote the check for the security deposit, but that was the extent of his involvement.

She wasn't sure what he wanted her to do as far as the packing went, so she asked him, "Do you want me to start packing your books?"

"No."

"Oh, are you going to do them yourself? I can bring in some boxes for you."

"No."

She blew out a breath. "Greg, we've only got a few days until the hearing. If we win Tiffany, we have to be ready to move into the town house."

"Just take your stuff and buy anything else you need."

"But what about your stuff?"

"It's staying here."

She was confused. "Why is it staying here?"

"Because I'm staying here."

She felt like she'd been hit by a freight train. "What do you mean that you're staying here? You're not moving into the town house?"

"Nope."

"Why not?"

He kept his eyes on the TV and didn't answer her. She went to the TV and turned it off.

"Hey, I was watching that!"

"You will talk to me right now or I'll put my foot through the stupid TV!"

"What do you want me to say?"

"I want you to tell me why you're not moving. Don't you want to get married anymore?" Her voice broke a bit on that question.

He stared at the floor for a moment, before saying quietly, "I don't know."

"What? You don't want to marry me? You were the one who asked me!"

"I know."

"You said you loved me."

"I do love you."

"Then what – why--?"

"I don't know!" he yelled. "I don't fucking know! I love you, I know that. But I don't know about the rest of it. A wife, two kids, a house. That's just not me."

"Do you think it's me? I've spent most of my adult life in sublet apartments. I never even signed my name to a lease before this."

"It's different for you."

"The only difference is that I don't have a choice. I'm the one carrying this baby, so I have to provide a home for it and Tiffany."

"You have a choice, if you want it."

She was stunned by his words. "I can't believe you would say that. And I repeat, I DON'T HAVE A CHOICE! Got it, buster?"

He nodded.

"But obviously you feel that you do have a choice." She continued. "You can just walk away from it, from me, from the baby."

"I wouldn't walk away. I'm paying the rent. And I'll give you support money for both kids."

"Damn right you will! " But the tears were filling her eyes. She didn't want his money, even though she knew that she needed it. She wanted him.

Then another thought occurred to her. "What about the hearing? Oh, God, we're basing our claim partly on the fact that we're getting married and providing a stable home for Tiffany. Oh, God!"

"As far as the court knows, we are getting married. They don't need to know anything about it."

"Lie to the judge?"

"What do you care about that? You want the kid back, right? You need to do whatever you have to do."

She nodded, trying to hold back the tears.

"Casey, we're not breaking up. I just need time to process this. To be sure I can do it."

She nodded again, afraid to talk.

"We'll see each other. I'll come over like I did when you were living in your brother's house. We'll get together and—"

"Oh no!" She was angry now. "Don't even think that! You think you're going to come to see me when you want sex, you can think again. You're not sleeping with me if you're not living with me. We can arrange for you to have visitation with the baby and Tiffany too, if you want. But there will not be conjugal visits with me.

"When you decide what you want, we can talk and if I haven't made other plans, we'll see. Until then, find your fun elsewhere."

She stormed out of the room then, leaving him wallowing in his own misery.

He wanted her, he really did. And part of him wanted the kids too. But another part, a very large, loud and persistent part, knew that he would probably screw it up if he did. Despite what Casey thought, he knew what he was. And what he wasn't.

And he was afraid to let her see either of those things. Or to expose innocent kids to that.

He had hoped that he could keep up a relationship with Casey from a safe distance. But deep down he'd known that she wouldn't go for it. He had probably thrown away any chance for a happy life with her.

Just as he'd always known, he only got exactly what he deserved.


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31

Casey packed up all of her personal stuff, but realized she wouldn't have any furniture for the town house. House knew it too. He called 1-800-MATTRESS and ordered a mattress to be delivered to the town house. Then he set up an account for her at a local furniture store so that she could get anything she needed.

She didn't want to take anything from him, but she had no money on her own and she needed to have some furniture in the house if Tiffany was going live with her. The court certainly would not allow her to bring the child to rooms devoid of furniture.

But she only bought the absolute essentials. There were two reasons for this: One, she didn't want to impose on House any more than she had to. Two was that she still harbored a tiny hope that he would change his mind and move in with her, thereby not requiring all the extra furniture. So she bought a small sofa that would work in a family room, a 25" TV and stand that could also go in a bedroom and a small kitchen table with four chairs. She also bought essential cooking and cleaning items, but didn't worry too much about that. House's utensils were mostly old and who couldn't use extra pots, pans and spatulas, etc?

A few days after their discussion, she moved into the town house. He went to work that morning and found her gone when he came home. He'd known she was leaving that day, and he really didn't expect her to say goodbye, but it still hurt. More than he wanted it to.

The day after she moved, she woke up to find an envelope had been slipped under her door. It held a set of car keys and the paperwork listing her as the owner of a new Hyundai Elantra. She opened the door and looked into the previously empty driveway and saw a little red car sitting there. She shook her head in wonder. He would do all of this for her, give her everything except for himself.

Casey didn't know what to do in the town house. She found herself napping a lot, but when she wasn't, she walked around the almost empty house wondering how she was going to do this.

But then she got an unexpected telephone call.

The voice on the other end of her cell phone said, "Ms Landers, I am Gerald Buchman. I am the Marketing Director for the Trenton Archdiocese. I'd like to meet with you to discuss an employment opportunity."

"A job? Mr. Buchman? I'm not Catholic."

"That's not a prerequisite to work for us. Please, could you come to my office so that I can tell you what I have in mind?"

Casey wasn't sure, but figured she didn't have anything to lose. She met him later that afternoon in the Archdiocesan office in Laurence Township.

Mr. Buchman had her sent to his office immediately and with very few pleasantries, started in on what he wanted to tell her.

"Ms Landers, as Marketing Director, it's my job to essentially sell our schools to the parents who would consider sending their children here. As you can imagine, in these economic times, that becomes harder and harder to do. The public schools are, of course, free. Our schools are not. We feel we offer more in terms of class size, discipline, spiritual fulfillment, but sometimes that's not enough and we have to provide alternate incentives.

"So a lot of my time is spent investigating what other schools, both public and private, are doing that might attract students to our schools. The school shows they perform are always on my agenda. School shows can be profitable both financially and in attracting new students.

"Last spring I was fortunate enough to observe a truly innovative production of the Wizard of Oz performed by a middle school. When I inquired about the production, I was told that it was done by a parent who was a Broadway veteran. I've been trying to get in touch with you since the summer, but I was told that you returned to New York. It was only recently that I found you had returned to the area."

Casey sat quietly while the man spoke.

"Ms Landers, I would like to offer you a position as the director of the school shows for our eight Archdiocesan high schools. I haven't decided on the name for the position, perhaps Drama Coordinator? We can work that out."

"Mr. Buchman, how could I direct shows for eight schools?"

"The shows would be staggered throughout the fall and spring and none would be concurrent. And each school would have faculty advisors, usually two, to assist you. Also, I'd like to see you use student directors. It makes the production more of a learning experience the more the children do for it."

Casey was flabbergasted. It was actually something she might enjoy doing. She certainly had the experience. But it was also a terrifying prospect. What if she failed?

"This is quite unexpected. I really don't know what to say. I should tell you that I am expecting a child."

"Oh, when are you due?"

"The beginning of September."

"Well, that would work out perfectly. Other than a few spring auditions for the earliest shows, you really wouldn't be starting anything until late September at the earliest. And this is the sort of job where you would set your own hours. Also, there is no reason why you couldn't bring a baby to the rehearsals. So you wouldn't have to worry about babysitters."

"I will really need to think about this."

"Of course. Oh, and I didn't tell you the salary. This is what we are prepared to offer." He named a figure that, while not exorbitant, was certainly generous.

Casey promised to think it over and get back to him. They said goodbye and she left in a haze.

She went home to take her afternoon nap, but even though she was tired, she couldn't sleep. Too many thoughts were whirling around in her head.

She decided to go for a drive. As she wound through the streets of Princeton, she wondered if she could do that job. She had enjoyed working with Tiffany's school. The kids were so much fun and they loved performing. But she had been a volunteer. It didn't matter whether she succeeded or failed.

But if someone was paying her that very nice salary, she would have to succeed. Could she do it?

She needed to talk this over with someone. But she had no friends in Princeton and she'd lost the connection with her friends in New York.

There was only one person here that she would trust to tell her the truth about what she should do.

Reluctantly she found herself driving to House's apartment. His car was outside and the light was on, so she assumed he was home. Just before she knocked on the door, she could hear the soft notes of the piano. She knocked and waited for him to answer.

When he saw her there, he wanted to say many things, but the only thing that came out was, "Don't you have a key?"

"I left it here when I moved out."

He nodded, but stood there, not moving.

"Greg, can I talk to you about something?"

He shrugged. "Sure."

He opened the door and she came in. She tried to smile at him. "How are you doing?"

"Is that what you wanted to talk to me about?"

"No." she sighed as she said, "I've had a job offer."

"Seriously?"

"Yes." She proceeded to tell him about Mr. Buchman's proposal.

"How much do they want to pay you?"

She told them what they were offering.

"That's not too bad for someone starting out like that. So what's the problem?"

"I don't know if I can do it!"

"Of course you can do it."

"How do you know?"

"Because you're smart and you're talented and once you decide you want it, you can do anything."

"I failed when I went back to New York."

"Big deal. You failed because you didn't want to be there. You were complaining that you didn't have a job. Now you'll have one. Take it."

"But what if I screw it up?"

"Then you quit or get fired and try something else."

"Just like that?"

"Just like that. It would suck, but you've bounced back from other things."

She turned away from him. How could what he said be so clear and insightful, while he was in such a fog when it came to them?

She turned back and said, "I miss you."

He looked at the floor and said quietly. "I miss you too."

She went to him then and caressed his cheek with her hand. "Greg…"

"Casey, I never stopped loving you. I don't think I ever will. I just don't know if I can do, if I can be, everything that you need me to be."

"I know you can."

"Well, I don't."

"Well, I do. Greg, okay, you had a terrible childhood, your father did…whatever he did to you. And you've spent the rest of your life blaming him for how miserable your life became. But in reality, it was your own inability to deal with what happened to you, your refusal to move forward and your complete lack of hope that brought you here. That made you unable to grasp the happiness that is right here for you.

"I just know that I'll hurt you."

"I don't know that. I know that you can do this."

She went into his arms. He held her close and kissed the side of her head, whispering, "Just give me some time to figure all of this out."

She nodded. "I'll be here when you do. Just don't wait too long."

She broke away from him and headed for the door. "The hearing is in two days, you know."

"Yeah, I took off from work. I'll pick you up."

"You don't have to."

"We should arrive together if we want them to think that we are."

She nodded and with one more look at him, she left. He closed the door behind her and went back to his lonely glass of scotch and his sad songs on the piano.


	32. Chapter 32

**I need to thank my legal adviser, gorblimey for her guidance with the legal issues. I did take some dramatic license, so any legal errors are entirely mine and should not be blamed on her!**

Chapter 32

On a cold day in early February, the custody hearing began. It was six months almost to the day of the other hearing when Casey lost Tiffany. Then she had approached it with ignorant confidence, thinking she couldn't possibly lose her niece. Of course, that had proved to be a foolish thought. This time, she knew that nothing was assured, but she also had the confidence of knowing that she had done everything she could. Stacy was a good lawyer and together they had prepared well. She was ready for whatever the hearing would bring.

The only thing that bothered her was the knowledge that she and House were not together. She still had hope that they would reunite, but for the moment, they weren't.

They met Stacy in the corridor and as she led them to the hearing room she sensed the tension between them.

"What's the matter?"

"Nothing." Casey said quickly. But Stacy was looking at House and could tell by his face that something was.

"Look, I know this is very stressful and you are probably on edge. So it's understandable if you've argued and are feeling at odds. But you need to resolve this now. You have to go into this hearing as a united front, do you understand me?"

Casey nodded. House stayed stone-faced. Stacy gave up on that. They'd either resolve it or they wouldn't. She had more important things on her mind at that moment.

"I just found out that we're getting Judge Franklin."

"Is that good?" Casey asked her.

She shrugged. "I don't know. She's been a judge for traffic court for a few years. She's only been on the bench in family court a few months."

"Inexperienced." House said. "Will that help us?"

"It could go either way. From what I've heard, she's very traditional, but fair. I've never had a case before her."

"Wait," Casey said, "I thought you said we were getting that guy you know, Judge Torrance?"

"He was scheduled, but he was called away on a family emergency. I just found this out about twenty minutes ago. I've had no time to do any research on this judge. I made a phone call to a colleague. So we're essentially going in blind."

The little bit of confidence that Casey had been feeling started to evaporate. With the tension between her and House and this judge situation, things did not look good.

Stacy had warned Casey not to mention her pregnancy. If they somehow found it out, they wouldn't deny it, but there was no reason to bring it up.

They went into the hearing room and Stacy led them to their table in the front. Minutes later, Hess swept in with Muffy and Thad behind him. Muffy glowered at Casey and House and curled her lip in disdain before turning away from them. She whispered something to Hess. He nodded and gave her a brief smile. They took their seats and the hearing was called to order.

Since Casey was bringing the action, Stacy went first. She addressed the judge, "Your honor, Ms Casey Landers is suing for custody of her niece, the minor child, Tiffany Landers. Since Ms Landers was appointed guardian by the child's parents, we believe it is in the child's best interest to be in Ms Landers' custody."

The judge looked at the notes in front of her. "Ms Warner, according to this, your client had custody of her niece and gave her up to Mr. and Mrs. Pendleton. Is this true?'

"Yes, your honor. However, at the time, my client did not employ legal counsel and was unfairly influenced by her opponent's attorney."

"That isn't an excuse, Ms Warner."

Stacy sighed to herself. This woman wasn't going to be easy. "No, you honor, it isn't. My client foolishly believed at the time that she didn't need an attorney. She was wrong and she would like the opportunity to present her case again."

Judge Franklin nodded. "Well, since we're all here, we may as well do it. Mr. Hess, you and Ms Warner have gone through mediation, am I correct?"

"Yes, your honor." Hess said, rising.

"And I assume you weren't able to resolve it at that time."

"No, your honor. My clients believe they should retain guardianship of their niece. Especially since Ms Landers signed over custody."

"Save it, Mr. Hess. You'll have your turn later."

"Yes, your honor." Hess sat down.

Stacy called Casey to the stand and started questioning her about her brother, their relationship, his will. Casey answered honestly and confidently. She and Stacy had gone over this many times and she knew exactly what to say.

Then Stacy started questioning her on the previous hearing. "Casey, why didn't you hire a lawyer last summer when the Pendletons sued for custody?"

"I didn't really think I needed one. I had my brother's will, his wishes. I didn't think I could lose with that on my side." She looked at the judge. "I'm not very knowledgeable on legal matters."

Stacy had warned her not to say that didn't have the money. The court would not look kindly on that and might think she was too miserly to fight for Tiffany.

"Tell us what happened at the hearing."

Hess stood up. "Your honor, I'm sure you've read the transcript of the hearing. And other than Ms Warner, the rest of us were there. Do we really need to go through it again?"

Stacy countered immediately. "Your honor, I want to explore Ms Landers feelings and perceptions during that hearing. That's not in the transcript and that will explain what happened in a much clearer fashion that the transcript will."

The judge nodded. "I'll allow it, as long as we touch on new ground. It's not necessary to repeat the hearing transcript."

"Of course, your honor." Stacy said. She turned back to Casey. "Casey, as you've heard, you don't need to repeat what was said. Just tell us how you felt, what caused you to sign over custody."

"Well, as I said, I thought I couldn't lose. But then Mr. Hess started to ask me about how much money I had and I realized I didn't have a lot. And he talked about all the things the Pendletons could give Tiffany and I knew that was true."

Casey hesitated and looked upset. "I—I got confused. I knew I couldn't give her all the material things that they could." Stacy had told her to sure to stress 'material' and she nodded as Casey told her story.

"He made me believe that Tiffany would live a happier life with them. I wanted her to have the best. And while I was still so confused, he gave me the custody papers to sign."

Stacy looked sympathetic. "Didn't anyone try to stop you? To advise you to think about what you were doing?"

"No. I didn't have a lawyer."

"Casey, you've just admitted that Mr. and Mrs. Pendleton are financially better able to provide for your niece. If that's true, why are you here?"

"Because I've come to understand that there's more to providing for a child than just buying things for her."

"What more is there?"

"Loving her. Caring about her, listening to her. She's unhappy living with them. All the money in the world won't change that."

"Thank you, Casey. No more questions."

Judge Franklin looked at Hess. "Mr. Hess, your witness."

Hess stood and approached Casey. "Ms Landers, while you had guardianship of your niece, you lived in your brother's home, isn't that true?"

"Yes."

"When you signed over custody of Tiffany, did you know you would have to move out of the house and relinquish your brother's vehicle as well?"

"No, I didn't."

"Where are you living presently?"

"I've just moved into a town house that I've rented. I may be buying a house in the future."

"Your finances have obviously improved. I understand that you're engaged to be married."

"Yes, I am." Casey tried to keep her expression neutral so that Hess wouldn't suspect there were any problems between her and House.

"Very convenient. How much was this engagement designed to help you regain custody?"

"Objection!" Stacy jumped up. "Your honor, I hope Mr. Hess isn't trying to imply that my client's marriage plans are contrived for the purpose of this case."

"Your honor," Hess said, "I think the court should find out if this proposed marriage is real or just a sham."

"I'll allow the question, but proceed carefully, Mr. Hess."

Hess looked at Casey, who glanced at her lawyer. Stacy nodded slightly. They had anticipated this line of questioning and even though Stacy had always intended to object to it, they knew the possibility was there that Casey would have to answer.

House knew it too, but that didn't mean he was happy about it. If this guy started to browbeat Casey again and Stacy didn't do anything about it, he would. Despite Stacy's warnings, he was not going to sit there and watch Casey get upset again.

"Ms Landers?" Hess asked.

"No, my engagement was not contrived. Greg and I have been dating since long before the Pendletons took Tiffany."

That much was not a lie. The engagement had not been contrived. She continued. "And Greg is not part of this petition. I am the one suing for custody. If we marry, Greg will be a part of our lives, but only a part. I will be Tiffany's guardian, as her parents intended."

"And if you decide not to marry or you break up, how will you support your niece?"

"I will be starting a new job with the Trenton Archdiocese as Drama Coordinator. Essentially, I'll be directing the shows at the eight archdiocesan high schools."

"And still have time to take care of a child?"

Stacy jumped up. "Your honor, I hope that Mr. Hess is not saying that a woman is not able to have a career and a family?"

Judge Franklin looked at Hess pointedly and said, "I'm sure Mr. Hess wouldn't think of saying that, correct Mr. Hess?"

"Of course not, your honor. It just sounds like a very demanding job and I'm merely asking if it might be too much for Ms Landers."

Stacy wasn't finished. "Mr. Hess is making assumptions about my client and he has no facts to back them up."

"Your honor, Ms Landers' ability to care for her niece is essential to this matter."

"He's not questioning that, he's questioning a woman's ability to handle a career and family."

"Mr. Hess," the judge told him, "You will please refer to the facts in this matter and refrain from postulating scenarios that have not occurred."

Stacy sat down and refrained from a smug smile, but House didn't. He almost did a fist pump in the air, but the sideways look Stacy gave him made him check the action.

Hess continued with his questions. "Ms Landers, you testified earlier that at the previous hearing, you got 'confused' and signed over custody. How can the court be sure that you won't get 'confused ' again and give her to someone else? Someone not as respectable as my clients?"

"Because now I understand that a person with no scruples can take advantage of me. I will be prepared for that in the future."

Hess narrowed his eyes at her, then turned away, saying, "No more questions, your honor."

Casey rejoined Stacy and House at the table, breathing a sigh of relief that that part was finished.

Next, Stacy called the psychologist to testify.

Dr. Andrews spoke clearly and concisely of Tiffany's personality and mental state. "She's an extremely perceptive child. Very bright as well. She is not happy in her present environment. She misses your client and her friends here."

Stacy asked a few more questions, then thanked the woman.

Hess started off with, "Dr. Andrews, did you discuss Ms Landers' fiancé, Dr. House, with Tiffany?"

"Yes, we discussed him."

"What was said?"

"Tiffany likes him very much. She feels very comfortable with him."

"Doesn't that seem odd to you? A twelve-year-old feeling 'comfortable' with a middle-aged man?"

"No, it didn't. I could tell the relationship is one of friendship."

"You could tell? Why? Because Ms Warner told you to testify to that?"

Stacy jumped up. "Your honor, Mr. Hess is implying that I scripted my witness's testimony."

But before the judge could rule, Dr. Andrews answered emphatically, "No, no one tells me what to say. I have spent the last twenty some years of my career working with children, many of whom have been abused physically or sexually. I can identify a child who has been molested or even one who has an even slightly unnatural relationship with an adult. In my professional opinion, based on my years of experience, I can say unequivocally that the relationship between Tiffany and Dr. House is one of mutual friendship."

Hess was finished and it took severe stares from Stacy and Casey to stop House from laughing out loud.

Stacy called a few more people as character witnesses for Casey, including Judy's mother and the principal of the school Tiffany had been attending in Princeton. Hess questioned them, but didn't get very far. At that point, Stacy was finished. Even though she knew Hess would call House, she had no intention of doing so. They wanted to maintain their position that it was only Casey petitioning for custody. If Hess questioned him first, she could counter whatever was said with her questioning.

Hess called Muffy to the stand. His questions were almost identical to the ones from the first hearing, but Stacy didn't object because she wanted the woman to paint herself as a self-suffering martyr.

When it was her turn, Stacy approached Muffy. She had known women like this most of her life. Mostly they were the wives of the partners at law firms or the wives of CEO's of corporations where she'd worked. Women who believed they were put on this earth to be beautiful accessories to successful men and who had no purpose themselves. She hated them. But she wore a neutral expression as she began her questioning.

"Would you tell us about your present relationship with Tiffany?"

"Well, of course, we're still adjusting to our life together. And Tiffany has been confused by her aunt and that man's interference."

" 'That man'? Who are you referring to?"

"Dr. House. I almost had to return to court to have him stop communicating with Tiffany. It's completely inappropriate. And I don't care what that doctor believes."

Stacy turned the discussion away from House. "Mrs. Pendleton, how much time do you spend with your niece?"

"Well, I don't use a stop watch to measure the time."

"I wouldn't expect that. Just an estimate. Say an hour a day? Two? More?"

Muffy floundered a bit. "Well, I am an important woman in our community and responsible for many things. I'm on the boards of several philanthropic organizations."

"Are you employed by those organizations?"

"No, I'm a volunteer. I give a good deal of my time to my community."

"But you should have a lot of time to spend with your niece?"

"Well, we spend what time we can. After all, she does attend school, a very good private school, by the way. And she is involved in extracurricular activities, such as dance and drawing after school."

"So even though you don't work, you still don't spend extra time with Tiffany?"

Hess stood up. "Your honor, Ms Warner insults my client by saying she doesn't work. She puts in long hours for no pay to help the less fortunate in her community."

"Your honor, I don't mean to insult Mrs. Pendleton. I am sure she is a tireless volunteer. But as Mr. Hess pointed out, a woman involved in so much may find it difficult to spend time with a child."

The judge looked at Hess. "You reap what you sow, Mr. Hess."

Hess sat down. Stacy continued. "So most of your time is spent in your charitable work?"

"Well, that and arranging my husband's social calendar and running our house which is quite large."

This was the opening Stacy had been hoping for.

"Oh, of course. I'm sure you have a large staff there. You have to instruct the maids and I'm sure you need to keep on top of the gardener at all times." Stacy stared directly at Muffy. The woman gave the attorney a stare that held confusion, question and a little uneasiness.

"No more questions, your honor."

Hess brought Thad up next and again, went through the same questions as before, stressing the man's importance in his community.

When Stacy started questioning him, she again focused on how much time he spent with Tiffany.

"I'm a very busy man." Thad countered. "I am running a political campaign. I try to spend time with the girl when I can, but at this point, there are pressing issues that I must attend to."

"And you have staff to oversee, as well, don't you?"

"Exactly."

"Of course, a man like you needs to monitor the actions of secretaries, maids and nannies and such. No more questions."

Thad watched her walk away, then glanced at his lawyer, who was avoiding his eyes.

Hess stood up then and called House to the stand. House took a deep breath and limped up and sat down.

"Dr. House," Hess began. "You are marrying Ms Landers."

"Yep."

"So you will be Tiffany's uncle. "

"Yep." House gripped his cane to avoid saying something he knew he shouldn't.

"Dr. House, is it true that you're addicted to painkillers?"

"Nope."

"Really? I was informed that you take Vicodin."

"I do. But that's not what you asked."

"Alright, do you take Vicodin?"

"Yes, I take a prescription medication for PAIN."

"So, you admit that you're addicted to painkillers?"

"No, I'll admit that I am in PAIN and I take prescription MEDICINE for it."

"Wasn't there a time when the law didn't believe that was the case?"

Stacy shot up. "Your honor, Mr. Hess tried this in the first hearing and the judge admonished him. Dr. House was never convicted of any crime and therefore should not be questioned about alleged offenses."

"You're correct, Ms Warner." The judge said. "Mr. Hess, I did read the transcript and I know what you were told then. You will please refrain from speaking about crimes that were not proved."

"Yes, your honor." Hess turned back to House. "I understand you have a problem with authority as well."

"Nope, no problem."

"Right, no problem because you don't respect authority."

"I respect what deserves respect. I ignore what doesn't."

"And you think those are good lessons to teach a child? Ignore anyone you think doesn't deserve your respect? Teachers? Employers?"

"She's smart. She'll know the difference."

"Dr. House, how many times have you been sued by patients in the last year?"

"I wouldn't know. I don't keep track."

"Isn't it true that you've been sued four times in the last six months?"

"Well, it looks like you're keeping track."

"And that it's been seven patients within the last year?"

"Gee, maybe I should call the Guinness folks. That sounds like a new world record."

"Do you think malpractice is something to be proud of?"

"Pretty sure they didn't sue me for malpractice."

"Oh, right, they didn't. They sued you because of the way you acted and spoke to them. You lose your temper a lot, don't you?"

"Define a lot."

"You're known for getting angry and losing your temper with people."

"I thought I was known for my sunny personality. Darn, now I'll have to correct my MySpace page."

Hess was undeterred by House's comments. "How is this court supposed to know that you won't lose your temper and lash out at Tiffany if she is in your custody?"

"I lose my temper with adults who should know better, but are still morons. Kids are different. They don't know enough about life to be true idiots. And K Mart's not one, she's smart."

The judge interrupted. "How did you just refer to the child?"

House looked at her, realizing too late what he'd said. "Uh, K Mart."

"Why did you call her that?"

He sighed. Probably better to tell the truth. "Because Tiffany's a stupid name. If you're named after a store, it should be one you can afford to shop in."

Hess smiled smugly. "So you've ridiculed her name? Young girls have self-image problems and you thought it was okay to belittle her like this?"

"Her self-image is fine. Or it was, until she went to live with Barbie and Ken."

Stacy and Casey were staring at him with pleading eyes. He knew it and knew what they wanted, but how could he let this guy talk like this?

"You're very good at making jokes, Dr. House. Will you be just as good as a father? No more questions."

House stared at the floor, while he waited for Stacy. She was staring hard at him when she approached.

"Dr. House, when you first met Tiffany, can you tell us what you observed?"

Hess stood up, "Your honor, while Dr. House is no doubt a well-known medical doctor, his specialty is not psychiatry or psychology."

"Dr. House is a keen observer of people and his testimony will prove it."

"Proceed, Ms Warner."

Stacy turned back to House. At that moment, he almost wished he had allowed her to go through the testimony beforehand.

"She was missing her life before her family died. And she felt guilty about it."

"Why did she feel guilty?"

"Because she wasn't with them when they died."

"Did Ms Landers know this?"

"No. She was dealing with her own grief."

"But you were perceptive enough to determine that?"

"Yep."

"How many times had you met her when you discovered the reason for her pain?"

"This was the second time."

"And how did she behave after that?"

"Like a kid should. She started doing the stuff she liked, started being with her friends again."

"Thank you, Dr. House."

Stacy thought he'd controlled himself pretty well and she wasn't going to push it. She sat down and House followed her, all of them hoping that her efforts had counteracted Hess's.

Hess told the judge that he had no more witnesses. The judge looked around the courtroom and sighed.

"This is the hardest part. I now have to decide who should have custody of this child. I am going to speak to her first, I understand she's here?"

"Yes, your honor." Hess said.

She nodded. "Good. I will try to determine her state of mind, but ultimately, this is my decision. And I feel I must be fair and tell you that I am old-fashioned and inclined to make sure that a child lives in a stable home with a paternal and maternal figure. While Ms Landers and Dr. House are engaged, they are not yet married and there is no guarantee that this relationship will succeed. But Mr. and Mrs. Pendleton have been married for many years, have a beautiful home and are pillars of their community.

"But I will adjourn for the day and go and talk to Tiffany. When we return tomorrow, I'll render my decision."

Casey's face fell. This was not good at all. The odds are that she was going to lose. House couldn't take it.

"That's bullshit!"

Everyone turned to look at him.

Stacy hissed, "Be quiet, Greg!"

"Dr. House," the judge said, "I do not take kindly to disruptions in my courtroom."

"I'm sorry, your honor." House told her, ignoring Stacy. "But something needs to be said here and no one seems to be saying it."

He rose from his seat and pointed to Muffy and Thad. "They – don't know anything about the kid. They don't talk to her, they don't spend time with her, they don't know what she likes or doesn't like. Ask them, go ahead ask them!"

The judge gave him a stern look. "Dr. House, I will decide what is asked in my courtroom. But," she added, considering, "You do have a point."

Hess stood up. "Your honor, this is ludicrous and Dr. House is showing total disrespect for the court."

"I agree that I do not like that behavior and I will deal with it with Dr. House. But as I have an important decision to make, I am not adverse to using whatever information I can to help me with that decision."

She turned to Muffy. "Mrs. Pendleton, can you tell me something about your niece?"

"Uh, what did you want to know?"

"Ask her what the kid's favorite TV show is." House piped in.

"If I need your help, Dr. House, I will ask for it. But that is a good start. What is your niece's favorite television program?"

'Well, I believe, I mean we don't spend our time together watching television. But I, um, believe it is one of those Disney shows. What is that one with the young girl who is a singer?"

"Hannah Montana?" the judge asked.

"Yes, that's it! That's the one she likes."

House let out a loud laugh. "That's crap. She's too smart for that. She hates that show. Her favorite is Dr. Who. She watches it all the time. She likes all the versions, but her favorite is David Tennant."

Muffy looked confused, as she had obviously never heard of that program. The judge nodded, writing something down. "What about music? What music does she like?"

Muffy thought for a moment and then said, "Those young boys, I believe their name is Jonas Brothers?"

"Oh, God, that's priceless. Yeah, I want to see what happens when you tell K that she likes the Jonas Brothers. She's into David Bowie. Favorite tune is Life on Mars." House told them.

Stacy had given up trying to get him to stop.

The judge looked at him. "Isn't that a little old for a twelve-year old?"

House shrugged. "She's a smart kid."

"Does she enjoy reading?"

Muffy brightened. She'd seen the girl with a book many times. "Yes, your honor, she reads quite a lot."

"And her favorite author?"

"Why, um,,…" Darn, she hadn't noticed what she was reading. She thought about what the kids were reading. "That one that the children all love? Um, Harry Potter!"

"Right, that's her favorite author, 'cause Harry wrote an autobiography of his life as a wizard. BUZZZ!" House made a buzzer sound. "Wrong again. She likes Susan Cooper, that's her favorite. She also likes Neil Gaiman."

Muffy looked at her lawyer for guidance, but Hess just shrugged.

House wasn't finished. "She doesn't know anything about her niece. And she'll never love her as much as we do."

The judge looked at him seriously, then considered the notes she had in front of her. "Alright, I think I need to speak to Tiffany now. I'll have the clerk bring her to my chambers and talk to her. We'll reconvene in the morning. And," she said to House, "I'll address your interruption of my court at that time as well. Court's adjourned."


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter 33

Casey and House left the courtroom with Stacy behind them. He could see by Casey's face that she was really worried.

"What are the chances?" he asked Stacy.

"I honestly don't know. But I'm not optimistic. And your outburst didn't help!"

He didn't answer her. He knew she was right, but somehow he felt that what he'd said needed to be said and he couldn't regret it. But still, if it caused Casey to lose her chance for Tiffany, he had a feeling she would never forgive him.

They started walking out of the courthouse together. Before they parted, Stacy said to them, "One thing, for tomorrow? You two have to be a unit. Whatever this problem is between you, end it now. The judge can pick up on the tension and it will not help."

"What's the point if she's making her decision tonight?"

"You never know, there still might be a chance." She said goodbye and headed to her car.

House and Casey got into his car and drove back to her town house. On the way, House began, "Casey, I—"

"Stop. You don't need to say anything."

"I'm sorry, but I –"

"Greg, you don't need to apologize. You had to say it. Even if she rules against us, she needed to hear that. And so did I."

"You? You knew all that stuff about Tiffany."

"But the thing I needed to hear was that you love her. You admitted before a judge and a room full of people that you love that child."

He couldn't look at her. She reached over and put her hand gently on his leg. "I'm glad you said what you said. I just hope you don't get in trouble because of it."

"Screw that."

They pulled up in front of the town house. He stopped the car, but she didn't get out.

"Greg, why don't you come in? We need to talk about what we're going to do tomorrow, in either case."

He was about to say that he had no interest in talking about it, but her eyes were soft and inviting and he thought maybe it was a good idea.

"Sure."

They went inside. He looked around the almost empty living room and said, "Love what you did with the place. What do you call this decorating style – the abandoned warehouse look?

"I know it's pretty empty. But I thought Tiffany would enjoy helping me decorate it. Just hope we'll get the chance."

He went to her then and pulled her into his arms. She rested her head against his chest and despite herself, felt the tears coming.

"They can't rule against us, they just can't. I don't know what I'll do."

"You'll survive. And we'll appeal, try again later. A different judge might rule differently."

She nodded and held him tighter. "Do you want something to eat?"

He shrugged.

"It's been a long day, I know you're probably starving. I can make you something."

"You don't have to bother. We could order in."

"No, please Greg, I need to do something right now."

"Okay."

So she made a skillet casserole for them, even though she only picked at hers. House was able to put away most of his with no problem. When they finished eating, he stood up and picked up his coat.

"Well, I guess I'd better go."

She took his coat from him and put it on the sofa. "Don't." she said simply as she pulled his head down to kiss him softly.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

Their kisses were frantic from need at first, then tender as they both tried to cherish each other. When he finally slipped inside her, he knew this was where he needed to be. How could he think otherwise?

Afterwards, they lay in the dark, just holding each other.

"Do you really think I can do this?" he asked her quietly.

"As well as I can."

He was silent for a long time. She thought he'd fallen asleep, when at last he said, "I'm going to screw it up."

"Then we'll screw up together. And then we'll pick up the pieces and start again."

He let out a deep breath. "If you're really willing to take this on with me, I guess I can try."

She snuggled closer to him. "Oh, Greg, thank you. You need to be with us."

"But I'm not moving in here."

She pulled away. "What? What are you talking about?"

"We need to buy a house. I can't put my piano in here and I really can't go up and down those stairs. And I'm not packing everything up and moving it only to do it again in two months."

She considered what he said and it did make sense. "But how are we…?"

"I'll be over here as much as I can. And when we get the house, we'll all move in together. And we can get married there too."

"I guess it's the sensible thing to do. I just want you with me, with us."

"I will be. I'm not going anywhere. Not anymore."


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter 34

The next morning, House and Casey returned to the courthouse. Stacy again met them in the corridor. She took one look at the both of them and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank God, you two have made up. That will help."

"Will anything help?" Casey asked.

"It's not over yet."

They entered the courtroom and took their seats at the table, followed quickly by Hess and the Pendletons. Court was called to order and the judge took her seat.

She looked at the assembled people before she spoke. "As you know, yesterday after this hearing was adjourned, I spoke with Tiffany. She's a very remarkable young lady."

House and Casey smiled their agreement.

"We had a very interesting talk. And I asked if she would mind being questioned again in front of all of you. She doesn't mind." Judge Franklin nodded to the court clerk and the man left the courtroom, returning a few seconds later with Tiffany.

She looked around the room, smiling hesitantly when she saw House and Casey. The clerk led her to the stand and she sat down.

Judge Franklin addressed her. "Hello, Tiffany. Thank you for agreeing to be questioned in front of everyone. I don't usually like to put children on the stand, but in this case, I think it's necessary for everyone to hear what you have to say."

Tiffany nodded. "Yes, your honor."

The judge smiled at her. "Tiffany, I am going to ask you the same questions I asked you yesterday. Answer them in the same way you did then, do you understand."

"Yes."

"Good. Now, dear, tell us, what is your favorite television program?"

"It's Doctor Who. Especially the ones with David Tennant."

"How do you feel about Hannah Montana?"

Tiffany made a face. "No. I mean, I watch some of the Disney shows, but I don't like that show at all. I haven't watched it in two years."

House was smiling, but Muffy had a sour look on her face.

"Do you like music, Tiffany?"

"Yes. I love David Bowie."

"What's your favorite song by him?"

"I really like all of them, but I guess Life on Mars is the best. But I also really like Ziggy Stardust."

"Only a few more questions, Tiffany, okay?"

"Sure."

"I know you like to read. Can you tell us who your favorite author is?"

"Susan Cooper."

"What about the Harry Potter books?"

"Oh, they're good. And I've read them all. But Susan Cooper is my favorite. I love the Dark is Rising."

The judge avoided looking at the people in front of her and concentrated on Tiffany. "One more, dear. Can you tell us about your like with Mr. And Mrs. Pendleton?"

"Well," Tiffany said slowly. "They bought me lots of things and sent me to that school. And they live in that really big house."

"Go on."

"But I really didn't want all that stuff. And even though everyone kept saying that school was really good, I just missed my friends. And the big house was …kinda lonely."

"Why was it lonely?"

"Cause my aunt and uncle were always busy. And," she added in a small voice. "Aunt Casey wasn't there. Or Doctor Greg."

"Thank you, Tiffany. Would you mind waiting in the other room now?"

The girl nodded and the clerk led her out the courtroom.

Once she was gone, the judge addressed the assemblage.

"Well, all of you heard Tiffany's testimony. After I spoke to her yesterday, I found myself faced with a dilemma. The petitioner obviously has a great deal of knowledge about the child.

"Despite that, I am still inclined to follow my own wisdom and award the child to the people who are in a stable relationship and have the means to provide for her well."

Casey felt herself sag. She was going to lose!

"However, one other thing occurred to help me make my decision. Doctor House had his outburst. And while I do not condone his behavior and he will answer for it, his words told me something I needed to know. Ms Landers and her fiancé truly love this child. The sense of that was very strong.

"And based on that and my talk with Tiffany, I am granting custody of the minor child Tiffany Landers to Casey Landers. I will also allow visitation with Mr. And Mrs. Pendleton on a schedule that both parties agree to."

Casey threw her arms around House. "We won! We won! Oh my God, we won!"

"Yep, heard that."

Stacy was smiling from ear to ear.

However, the judge wasn't finished. "Dr. House, concerning your outburst. Please rise."

House looked up and slowly got to his feet.

"I do not appreciate having my court disrupted."

"But…" House began.

"It doesn't matter what you said or whether it helped the case. You are not to disrupt a hearing with no regard for anything else."

"Yes, your honor." House said in a low voice.

"I therefore find you in contempt of court and sentence you to pay a fine of one hundred dollars."

"Excuse me?" House asked.

"Do you have a hearing problem, Doctor? I said a fine of one hundred dollars."

"Seriously?"

"Don't make me think about it too long."

"No, of course not, your honor. One hundred dollars. Will you take a check?"

"See the clerk. As for the rest of you, the hearing is dismissed."

An officer entered with Tiffany beside her. The girl looked around, confused as to what the outcome had been.

Casey cried out, "We won! You're ours!"

Tiffany jumped in the air and ran to her aunt, throwing her arms around her. "YAY!"

She turned to House and smiled, then hugged him too. "And I get to stay with you guys forever, right?"

"Yes," said Casey.

"No." said House.

Both females stared at him, Tiffany's face falling as if she would burst into tears.

"Greg, what are you saying?"

"When you graduate from college, you're out. No freeloaders."

Casey and Tiffany smiled and hugged him again, while he rolled his eyes.

While they were hugging, Stacy was gathering up her files and putting them into her briefcase when Hess walked by their table.

"You did a good job, Stacy." He said.

"Thank you, Philip."

He glanced at House and Casey, then back to Stacy. "You know, I still can't believe you dumped me for him."

"That was a long time ago."

"Not for me."

She just gave him a tight smile.

"Was he as much of a jerk then as he is now?"

"Yes."

"It still amazes me that you spent five years with him."

"Well, I've been away from him for a long time too. You weren't available at that time. And I'm not now."

He looked into her eyes. "Time never seems to work for us, does it."

"No, Philip, I guess it doesn't. But you're a lot different today. The man I knew back then would never have taken advantage of someone's legal ignorance the way you did. Excuse, me, I have other things to do."

She walked away.


	35. Chapter 35

**A nice light chapter after all of the angst...**

Chapter 35

Ten days later…

They were having a celebration – a small one, but a celebration nonetheless. Tiffany's friends, that she hadn't seen since she'd moved to Long Island, were coming to the town house for a sleepover. Casey thought it would be nice to have their parents over as well for an informal cocktail party so that they could get to know her and House.

House, of course, did not care to meet them. But Casey had convinced him that this was necessary and had invited Wilson as well so that he wouldn't be totally bored.

It was a good idea.

Wilson arrived early to help Casey get ready. While they set out snacks, he asked her, "Is it true that the Pendletons don't want visitation with Tiffany?"

"Yep." She answered.

"That's astounding! Why did they go through all of this if they didn't really want her?"

She told him about Thad's political aspirations and he just shook his head in disbelief.

As each of Tiffany's friends arrived, there were squeals and hugs. Then, all four girls ran to her room so that they could talk in private. Meanwhile, the adults chatted amiably together over wine and cheese and crackers. House did his best to hold back the remarks, but for the most part, he didn't mind the people he met.

Terry's parents were amiable people. Her father had a million jokes at the ready and some of them were actually funny. It could have been annoying, but he laughed at himself more than at the jokes.

Judy's parents were well-traveled and interesting. Her father worked in the linguistics department of the university and often conducted language studies in other countries and occasionally took his wife and daughter along with him.

When Nicole's mother, Janice, arrived, she immediately greeted Casey and House, and Casey introduced her to Wilson who was standing with them.

"This is our friend, Dr. James Wilson."

"Oh!" Janice purred. "Nice to meet you doctor. Is you wife here?"

"It's James and I'm divorced."

"Really? Would you like to get some cheese and crackers?" She linked her arm in his and led him to the table.

House rolled his eyes, but Casey was smiling.

He looked at her. "Please don't tell me that you invited him for that reason?"

"He's lonely. He needs something."

"He doesn't need that."

Later, when House caught Wilson alone with a goofy smile on his face, he asked him, "Really? You know she's a maneater."

Wilson raised his eyebrows, "That's what I'm hoping for."

House laughed. "You dog!"

A short time later, Wilson and Janice said good night to House and Casey.

"We're going to get some coffee."

"Sure you are." House said.

Soon after, the other couples left as well. House and Casey settled on the sofa, the leftover snacks on House's lap. As they watched a movie, they could hear the four girls upstairs laughing and chattering. Occasionally they would run downstairs for more drinks or snacks.

When the movie was over, they went to bed. The girls were still chattering. When they finally settled down to sleep, they chattering went on.

"It's after one!" House complained. "Are they ever going to stop?"

"Probably not." Casey told him.

"Well, at least this means they'll probably sleep late."

Casey laughed.

"What?" he asked.

"We'll be lucky if they sleep until seven."

"Seriously?" he said, amazed. Then he sighed. "Well, I guess they haven't really seen each other for awhile."

Casey laughed again. "They could have seen each other yesterday and it would be exactly the same."

"What the hell do they have to chatter about? I don't think I've talked that much to Wilson in the entire time I've known him."

Casey shrugged. "I don't know what they talk about, but I remember doing the same thing when I was their ages."

"How long is this going to go on?"

"Probably until she goes to college."

"Oh, god. And if the other one's a girl, we'll be going through the same thing, right?"

"Yep."

"Oh, god!"


	36. Chapter 36

Chapter 36

When they told Tiffany about the baby, they found that she was overjoyed about the thought of a little cousin that would also be like a little brother or sister.

"I get to be the big sister, just like Bruce and Todd were big brothers to me."

Soon after, they started shopping for houses. Casey knew that it had to be a rancher (no stairs) and she was hoping to find something in the same neighborhood Tiffany had lived in before so that she could continue to go to school with her friends. But since Tif was in middle school, as long as she stayed within the range of that school, she'd be okay.

They started searching out houses and neighborhoods that they liked. Some were very pricey and Casey was reluctant to take on a mortgage that she felt was above their means. House told her that he made enough money, but she still felt they would be better off with a more moderately priced house.

The one thing that was in their favor was the economy. With people losing jobs and being foreclosed on, there were more houses available at lower prices. Still, nothing seemed just right. One house had all the amenities they liked, but was way over their price. Another was priced right, but didn't have everything they wanted. Casey knew they might have to compromise on some things, but still nothing felt right.

Then, on a Sunday in early March, armed with a list of open houses, they found it. It wasn't a large house, but it was a rancher. Nice white paint and blue trim on the outside made it attractive at first glance. Entering the front door they found a living room that wasn't huge, but had high ceilings and lots of windows. There was certainly enough room for House's piano and a nice living room set. It also opened into a dining room area.

To the right of the living room/dining room was the kitchen. While still not real big, it had recently been remodeled and all the appliances updated. The kitchen had a small family room coming off of it, which also led to the deck and the backyard. The yard was the only spacious area and Casey liked it immediately, anticipating cookouts with their friends there.

Left of the living room were the four bedrooms. The master bedroom was towards the front of the house and had its own bathroom. There was a small room right next to the master bedroom, actually more of an office size than an actual bedroom. The other two were towards the back of the house and there was a bathroom right between them. They were fairly good sized.

The neighborhood was nice as well. Not as high-priced as the one her brother had lived in, but still a good one.

All in all, the house was exactly what they were looking for. The only question was the price. But their realtor told them that she had inside knowledge that the people selling needed to get out quickly. The man had lost his job and they needed to move out of state where relatives would help them out. They probably wouldn't be able to pay the mortgage past this month.

They made an offer and, to their delight, it was accepted. And since the people needed to leave fairly quickly, they could make settlement and move in within two months, which would get them settled early in May, way before the baby was coming in September.

Casey told her landlord at the town house that they would need to get out of their lease. She knew they would have to pay a penalty because of it, but figured there was nothing they could do about that.

However, the landlord had a waiting list for these town houses and there was another tenant that wanted it. He told Casey that if she could be out by the end of March, she wouldn't have to pay a penalty.

She discussed it with House and Tiffany and they decided that Tiffany could sleep on the sofa for a few weeks until they moved into the new house. It would be a little cramped, but it was only for a short time. At least they knew what they would be doing.

But there was also the matter of her brother's house to deal with. Casey decided the best thing was to talk honestly to Tiffany about it. They went out for lunch when Casey brought it up.

"Tiffany, you need to think about what you want to do with your family's house."

"I need to?"

"Yes, sweetie, technically, the house belongs to you. And I don't want to influence you one way or the other."

Tif was silent.

"And you don't have to decide right now." Casey continued. "We can pay the taxes on it out of your dad's life insurance and social security."

"Why couldn't you do that before?"

"I needed that money to support us. But I don't need it now. Greg's salary – and mine when I start my new job – is more than enough to support all of us. So there's no pressure. If you want to keep it and live in it someday, that's fine. You can do that. If you'd rather sell it and put the money away for the future, that's fine too."

Tiffany sighed. "I don't know what I wanted to do."

"Then don't do anything for now. We'll just keep the house and you can think about it. There's no rush. When you're ready, that's when we'll deal with it."

"Okay." The girl said, relieved.

While Tiffany was pondering this, Casey knew it was time to talk to her fiancé about something that had been bothering her. House had told her about his father's death and his mother, but thus far, she had not met or even spoken to Blythe House. She wasn't even sure if he had told his mother about her and the baby.

As soon as she brought up the subject of his mother, he closed off and tried to avoid the conversation.

"Greg, this is silly! Does your mother even know that we're getting married? Having a baby? Buying a house? That we have Tiffany?"

"None of her business."

"She's your mother! Of course, it's her business."

He pretended to ignore her, but she persisted. "We're about to become parents, not to mention we have Tiffany. How would you feel if Tiffany or our child didn't care about us enough to tell us the most important things that are happening in their lives?"

He didn't speak, but he knew that she was right. Not that he would admit it to her, but the next day, he dialed his mother's number.

Blythe was, of course, thrilled to hear from her only child.

"Oh, Greg, I'm so happy you called! I was going to call you, but I know how busy you are." In other words, she knew he would avoid her calls if he didn't want to talk to her.

"Yeah, well, there are a few things going on here, that I thought you'd like to know."

"Really, dear?"

His voice got very low. "Yeah, well, I'm kinda, um, getting, um, married."

"What, Greg? I couldn't hear you, what did you say?"

He sighed. "I'm getting married."

Blythe was speechless for a moment, then in an excited voice, "Oh, Greg, that's wonderful! Who is she? What's her name?"

"Her name is Casey. Up to a about a year and a half ago, she was a Broadway performer." He gave her a brief synopsis of the situation with Tiffany.

"So you're helping to raise her niece? Greg, I'm so proud of you for that."

"Yeah, well, one more thing: Casey's pregnant, so we'll be having our own kid in September."

There was silence again and this time Blythe didn't speak for several minutes. House was concerned that something had happened.

"Mom? Are you there? Are you okay?"

After a few more seconds of silence, he heard, "Greg, you have just made me the happiest woman on earth."

He chuckled. "Being a grandmother is that important to you?"

"No, well, yes it's very important. But knowing that you are finally going to have a real life and be happy is the best news I could ever have."

House didn't know what to say to that. So he handed the phone to Casey, who had been anxious to say hello to his mother.

"Mrs. House? Hello, I'm Casey and it's so nice to finally talk to you."

Blythe greeted her future daughter-in-law exuberantly and they talked about the new house, the wedding plans and, of course, the baby.

When they finished, Casey said goodbye and handed the phone to House, who said a quick goodbye to his mother and hung up.

"She sounds wonderful!" Casey gushed. "Why didn't I talk to her before?"

"Oh, god, I don't need more women ganging up on me. You and Tiffany are more than enough."

"And what if the baby is a girl?"

"Then I'm seriously screwed."


	37. Chapter 37

Chapter 37

They were all happy to be moving into the new house. Casey took Tiffany with her to search for furniture, curtains, etc. The girl started to get as excited as her aunt was. And once she realized that they would be living in the new house, she began to think clearer about her childhood home.

She finally told her aunt, "I think I want to sell it."

"Honey, are you sure? You don't have to."

"I know. But it's really not the same living there without my parents and Bruce and Todd. Remember how I thought it was Mom and Dad in bed when you and Uncle Greg were?"

Casey nodded.

"It's always like that. I would come home from school and think Mom was in the kitchen even if it was you. Or I'd walk by Bruce and Todd's room and think I'd hear them laughing or their music. It was better when Uncle Greg was there, 'cause he was never there with my family."

She paused, remembering. "I still love them all a lot, but I don't think I want to live with their ghosts everywhere."

Casey smiled at her. "You're a very wise young lady. And I'm very proud of you."

Tif smiled back. "But can we go there first and take what we want from it?"

"Absolutely."

So a few days later the three of them went to the house and started walking through, with Casey making lists of what they would take, what they would sell and what Tiffany wanted to store for the future.

TV's and stereos would go to the new house. Rick Landers had purchased a flat screen, high def set for the family room a few months before he died. House was itching to get that into the new house.

There was also a nice stereo system, a computer, video games and a good collection of movies. All of those would go with them.

House and Casey wanted to pick out their own furniture for the new house, so they didn't want any of the sofas, chairs or tables. But Tiffany asked for the suede upholstered easy chair from the family room.

House eyed it and said, "It's kind of ratty, K."

"It was my dad's chair." Tiffany told him. "Every day when he came home from work, he'd sit there and read the newspaper. And when I was little, I'd sit on his lap and he would read the funnies to me or one of my story books. And if I was sick, he'd just hold me there until I fell asleep."

Casey's eyes were filling, as she remembered seeing her brother and her niece sitting together in that chair. Even House had to turn away.

"Okay, sweetie,' Casey told her. "You can keep that chair."

There were some newer appliances in the kitchen that they decided to keep. There was also a very nice Weber gas grill on the deck that would be great on the back deck of their new house.

In the dining room, Casey convinced Tiffany that she should keep her mother's wedding china.

"Believe me, someday you'll thank me. I didn't save my mom's when she died and I wish I had it now. We'll pack it carefully and store it and when you have your own home, you'll have something special from your mom."

Tiffany agreed. House scooped up the bottles of liquor from the little bar there, as Rick Landers had filled it with the good stuff and some hadn't even been opened.

In the living room, which had barely been used by the family, there was almost nothing she wanted to keep.

Except one painting.

"When my mom redid this room, she let each of us pick out a painting. I picked that one with the dog in it. I want to keep that."

Casey agreed and they moved upstairs. Some things in Tiffany's room had been packed up when she moved to Long Island, but the furniture was still there. Tiffany liked her furniture, so they decided they would take it, as well as any of the other things remaining in the room.

Casey had removed most of her things from the little room that she had used, but there were a few bits and pieces that she hadn't packed in her hurry to leave when Hess kicked her out. She sorted through them and separated what she wanted to take and what she would sell or trash.

The master bedroom held a lot of memories, but little that they really wanted to keep. Casey knew she would take all of Beth Landers' jewelry for Tiffany. The real and expensive items she would put in a safe deposit box, while the costume jewelry, she'd pack away in the storage area. She might not want them, but once she was an adult she could make the decision.

The linen closet held some brand new, in the package sheet sets that were the same size as their bed, so they decided to take them. They were almost done, except for Bruce and Todd's room. Gingerly, Tiffany peeked into the room.

"I haven't really been in here since they…"

"I know, honey." Casey said. She put her hand on her niece's shoulder as they walked into the room.

It was a typical teenaged boy's room, times two. There were sports equipment and trophies everywhere. The walls were covered with rock and anime posters. There were even clothes still strewn about.

Tiffany had to hold back the tears. "It still smells like them."

"Tif…"

"I used to say that I hated them. They were always teasing me and not letting me hang out with them when their friends were here. But I didn't really hate them. And I never got to tell them."

"Sweetie, they were probably thinking the same thing. They never got to tell their little sister how much she meant to them."

"Do you really think so?"

"Of course. They loved you."

House stood just outside the room, watching them. He was not comfortable with emotional scenes like this. Still, he loved these two females and he couldn't help feeling their pain as they said goodbye to their family.

"Do I have to get rid of all their stuff?"

"You don't have to do anything." House told her.

She looked at him. "What should I do with it?"

"Just pack it up and store it." Casey said. "At a later date, you might be okay with getting rid of it, but you don't have to do it now."

Tiffany nodded, then looked around the room. "But I want that Final Fantasy poster. I was so jealous when Todd bought it. It was the last one the store had and I wanted it, but he saw it first."

"It's yours now." House said. Casey glared at him and he gave her a 'what did I say?' look.

They finished their inspection of the house and locked it up. Casey called the realtor that was handling their new house and arranged to put the house on the market. She also called the newspaper to put in an ad for a house sale so that they could sell the furniture and other things that they didn't want. They set it up for three weeks from then.

Then, in the meantime, they got storage containers and packed up all the things that Tiffany wanted to keep. They rented a storage unit and moved those items there. They separated the things they would be taking to the new house and moved them all to one room so that the rest of the rooms would be open for the sale. Then they moved all the small items to another room so that they could watch them.

The sale went well. Almost all of the furniture sold as well as the other stuff. When they were done, they arranged for The Salvation Army to take what was left. Then they closed up the house and waited for it to sell.


	38. Chapter 38

Chapter 38

**_To our family and friends…._**

**_You are invited to a celebration!_**

**_We'll be celebrating our new home, our current and upcoming children, early birthdays…._**

**_Oh, and our wedding._**

**_Please don't get too excited, this is a come as you are wedding._**

**_Or come as you like to be. If you're a jeans and t-shirt person, great! _**

**_If you prefer evening wear, go for it!_**

**_As for gifts, we don't need any. _**

**_(Don't listen to anything the groom tells you!)_**

**_If you really want to give us something, make it something personal, _**

**_something you made yourself or can do for us._**

**_(Babysitting offers are especially welcome!)_**

_**This will be held on May 31 in the backyard of our new home**_

**_(Address and directions enclosed.)_**

**_Not to put any pressure on you, but the folks making the food want to know how many people are coming, so could you please tell us by May 20 if you are or aren't?_**

**_So please come if you can to share a day of fun, food and friends!_**

**_Greg House and Casey Landers (Tiffany, too!)_**

The invitations went out at the end of April. They made settlement and moved into the new house the first week of May. While they were still busy unpacking and getting new furniture delivered, Casey had another appointment with Dr. Vitelli.

"Will you be able to come for the ultrasound?" She asked House.

"I'll try. But we're having some problems with this patient and I don't know whether I'll be able to get away."

"That's okay. You were there for the other one. I don't know why she wants another one at this point."

"It's standard. What time is the appointment?"

"Eleven."

"I'll do my best." He told her, as he kissed her and left for work.

When Casey got to the hospital, she went directly to Dr. Vitelli's office. If House was going to make it, he'd meet her there and if he couldn't, well, bothering him about it wouldn't help.

Dr. Vitelli made small talk with her as she got ready to do the ultrasound.

"I still don't understand why you needed to do another ultrasound." Casey asked her.

"I have my reasons. Let's do this and I'll tell you after, okay?"

"Okay." Casey agreed.

Vitelli put the gel on her belly and began the procedure. They could hear the baby's heartbeat, but it sounded a little off to Casey.

"Why does it sound like that?"

"Hmmm." Vitelli said. She peered at the monitor and then she saw it. "Oh, that's why!"


	39. Chapter 39

Chapter 39

It was after twelve noon and House had just remembered about the ultrasound. He'd been tied up with the patient at eleven as he'd predicted, but he thought Casey would have come to see him afterward. She always got so excited about those pictures. Truth be told, he did too, but he didn't let anyone know he did.

So he was surprised when she didn't appear in his office, proudly displaying the little one's grainy photo. He dialed her cell phone, but it went straight to voice mail. He called the house, but there was no answer there either. Now he was starting to worry.

He checked the hospital directory and called Dr. Vitelli's office. When the receptionist answered, he said, "This is Dr. House. My fiancée had an appointment today. I wanted to see if she was still there."

"Yes, Ms Landers was here, Dr. House, but she left about twenty minutes ago."

"Thanks." He hung up. Okay, that could explain it. She might not be home yet. It was against the law to drive and use a cell phone in New Jersey and Casey was a stickler for following the law. She'd probably answer his call once she got home.

Forty-five minutes later, when she hadn't called him, he dialed her again. But again, she didn't answer either home or cell.

He put on his jacket and called out to his team, "I have to go home. Call me if you need me."

He didn't listen to their sputtering questions as he headed out of the office and out of the hospital.

When he got home, he walked into the house calling her name, but there was no answer. Her car was in the driveway, so he knew she had to be home. He went into the bedroom, no luck. He went to the kitchen and then into the family room. He was about to panic when he caught a glimpse of her on the deck. He went outside and found her curled up on the porch swing. He sat beside her and saw that her face was streaked with tears.

"What's going on?" he asked her.

"Nothing." She replied with a sniff.

"Right. You went to your doctor's appointment, didn't come to see me and are now sitting here crying. I can tell that everything's just wonderful."

She didn't say anything.

"What did Vitelli say?"

She turned away from him.

"You may as well tell me. I can find out."

"Dr. Vitelli won't tell you, I'm her patient."

"I'm a doctor at the hospital. I can find out."

"Are you saying you can get my records, even though I'm not your patient?"

He just gave her a look. She rose and went into the house. He followed her into the family room and watched as she collapsed on the sofa.

"It doesn't matter, Casey. If there's something wrong with the kid, we'll figure it out. I'm a doctor. If I can't handle a sick kid, who can?"

"It's not sick."

"What?"

"It's not sick."

"Then what the hell is the matter if the baby isn't sick?"

She started crying again. He sat beside her and put his arms around her. "I'm sorry. But you're a lunatic. You better tell me what the hell's going on before I really lose it."

In a voice that he could barely hear, she said, "It's twins."

"What did you say?"

"Twins. We're having twins."

He stared at her. The tears were coming down her face now.

"You're really unhappy about his?" he asked her.

She shook her head. "Yes. Because you're going to leave."

"I am?"

She nodded.

He sat back, trying to take all of this in. "Okay, let me get this straight. We're having, uh, tw-twins." His voice faltered a bit on the word. "And you're kicking me out?"

"I'm not kicking you out."

"Then why am I leaving?"

"Because we're having twins!"

He squinted at her. "I'm still lost. Will we not have enough space for the babies and me? I don't think they're gonna take up that much space."

In an exasperated voice, she said, "Greg, just stop it! I know what you're feeling."

"You do? Why don't you tell me?"

"You barely accepted this as we are! Marriage, the house, Tiffany, the baby. One baby! I know that twins is gonna be the deal breaker here. So I'm just trying to come to terms with the idea of raising these babies on my own."

He was silent for a long moment before he spoke in a low voice. "Do you really have that low an opinion of me?"

"What do you mean?"

"I told you that I was staying. That I wanted it all. Do you think that means until it gets difficult?"

"You haven't had a good track record when it comes to difficult."

He looked at the rug. "I know. But I'm a different man with you. A better man, I hope. And I'm not leaving you. Or these…babies, God help us."

She looked at him with a glimmer of hope in her eyes. "Are you sure? Do you really think you can do this?"

"Hell if I know. Can you do it?"

"No idea." She smiled at him now. "But maybe together we can."

He shrugged. "Maybe. Are we okay now?"

She nodded.

"Good. What time does K Mart get home?"

"About three-thirty. Why?"

"Well, since I'm here and we're alone, what about a little afternoon delight?"

"You mean like old times?" she asked him.

"Why not?"

"And considering that at this point in this pregnancy, I am extremely horny, I think that's a wonderful idea."

"Not to mention the size of your boobs is unbelievably impressive."

She smiled and led him to the bedroom.

*************************************************************************************

They lay there entwined in each other's arms, both lost in thought.

"Thank you." She said.

"What for?" He asked her.

"For being understanding and supportive."

"I'm all about the nurturing."

She sighed and asked him, "Are you really alright with this?"

"Sure."

"You're not scared?"

"Of course I am."

"Really?"

He smirked. "You think I'm not scared to become a father, especially of twins."

She was silent for a long time and he thought she'd fallen asleep. Finally she said, "I'm scared too."

"Really?" he asked, aping her question.

"What do I know about taking care a baby, let alone two?"

"You had your brother's kids."

"Not when they were infants. I mean, I'd go to visit, and Beth would put a baby in my arms and I would grimace and hold it for as short a time as I could and not look like a bad aunt. Then I would hand the baby back to Beth, wash the slobber or poop off of my designer duds and tell them how adorable their child was."

House laughed. "Pretty much how I was with the rattle and diaper set."

"Once they got a little older, I didn't mind them. I even stayed with them for two weeks when Rick and Beth went to Europe. Tif was about five and the boys were adolescents and had plenty of things to do with their friends, so Tif and I played Barbies.'

"Played Barbies?"

"Yeah, you know, Barbie dolls? Dress them up?"

"Yeah, I never quite got that. You put clothes on them, then take them off and put other clothes on them. Then do it all over again. I mean, I can understand undressing a beautiful woman, but then why put clothes on her again?"

She laughed. "You're a guy, you don't understand."

"So if the twins are girls, you'll play Barbies with them and everything will be fine?"

"Well, yeah, eventually. But when they're infants, you have to take care of them 24/7. And they need to be fed and changed and they cry and get sick and everything."

"Didn't you think of all of this before we got to this point?"

"Yeah, but I thought it would be one and I could somehow learn to do it. But now it's two! And I don't have the slightest idea what to do! And I don't even have my mom to help me."

"My mom's around. And she's pretty good at that stuff. I mean I survived my infancy. I might be screwed up now, but I was a very cool toddler."

She smiled and burrowed closer to him. "You're very cool now too. You wouldn't mind if your mom stayed with us for a little while when the babies are born?"

He shrugged. "It wouldn't be terrible. And if she helps with the little monsters, why not?"

"Thank you."

He held her closer and kissed the top of her head. Twins. He shook his head. How the hell did he end up like this? Then he smiled. He ended up like this, because he found a woman like her and became part of a family. And it felt good.


	40. Chapter 40

Chapter 40

The wedding was everything that Casey and House had hoped it would be.

A week before (Casey insisted that it be a least that far in advance), Wilson held a bachelor party for House. It involved pizza, beer, scotch and a stripper. House got sloshed, had a lap dance and slept it off at Wilson's apartment.

A few days before the wedding, Blythe flew in to be with them. House had a case, so Casey went to the airport to meet her.

Standing at the gate, Casey held a sign saying "Mrs. House." She watched as the passengers came out. She'd looked at her future mother-in-law's picture and knew that she had dark hair, but was surprised when a woman approached her, smiling. This woman looked too young to be her fiance's mother.

But she said, "Casey?"

"Yes! Hello, Mrs. House."

"Oh, please, dear, call me Blythe."

"Okay, Blythe."

"I'm so happy to finally meet you." Blythe told her.

"Me too!" Impulsively, the two women hugged, laughing.

"When I saw you, I didn't think it was you." Casey told her as they walked towards baggage claim. "I thought you'd be much older."

"I'm old enough. Too old it seems most days."

"Oh, no, you don't even look old enough to be Greg's mother at all."

"Well, I was very young when I had him. Speaking of that, how are you feeling?"

They hadn't told Blythe about the twins. Casey thought maybe she should wait until House was with her, but she was too excited.

"I'm feeling good. And guess what?"

"What?"

"We're having twins!"

Blythe was speechless. She stopped walking and stared at Casey for a few moments. "I can't believe this! I never thought I'd have one grandchild and now you're giving me two at once. Three, counting your niece."

Casey was touched that Blythe would consider Tiffany to be her grandchild as well. She linked her arm with the older woman's as they walked.

"You know, I don't know anything about babies and my mom's gone. I could use any advice you'd like to give."

"Of course, dear. Whatever you need."

"Would you consider coming back here when the babies are born to help us out?"

Blythe hesitated. "I would love to, but what does Greg think about that?"

"It was actually his idea."

Blythe was astonished. "Really? That's amazing. Well, in that case, I'll definitely be here."

When House came home that night, Blythe was pleased to see how happy he was with his new family. He and Tiffany chatted and joked together easily and the love between him and Casey was very evident.

Although the wedding was non-traditional in many ways, there were some traditions that they adhered to. On the insistence of Blythe, one of them was that the groom not spend the night before with the bride. House grumbled, complained and outright refused, but in the end, he couldn't refuse his mother. So Wilson picked him up and took him back to his apartment (so that he could drive him back the next day and make sure he was on time). They watched monster truck videos and tried to avoid talking about marriage.

At the house, Casey, Blythe and Tiffany had a pajama party. There was sparkling cider, cheese, crackers and other snacks. There was also tea and cookies. They talked and laughed, with Tiffany thrilled to be included with the adult women.

In the morning, Casey supervised as the caterer set up tables and chairs and arranged the barbecue grills. There was to be a small pig being roasted on one, chicken on another and burgers and dogs on a third. Potato salad, pasta salad and mixed green salad would be set out on a serving table with the condiments.

The guests started to arrive and were greeted by Blythe and Tiffany. Blythe was wearing casual green slacks and a tan shirt. It had been hard to reconcile herself to the fact that she wouldn't be dressing up for her son's wedding, but after much discussion with Casey, she had finally come around.

Tiffany wore a yellow sundress and sandals, looking fresh and pretty.

When House and Wilson arrived, Blythe moved them into the family room, away from Casey who was dressing in the bedroom.

House wore black jeans, a black t-shirt and a deep turquoise button down shirt. His hair had been recently cut and his beard was trimmed. He wore black Nikes and carried a shiny black cane.

Wilson had as hard a time as Blythe deciding to dress casually for a wedding. But he had given in and now wore tan khakis and a rust colored golf shirt.

Since it was a civil ceremony, they had asked Judge Franklin if she would preside and she had agreed.

The guest included Cuddy, Foreman, Cameron and Chase from the hospital. All of Tiffany's friends and their parents attended which was convenient since Wilson was still dating Nicole's mother. Some of Casey's friends from New York were there as well and had agreed to provide music for the occasion. They brought a portable keyboard and guitars.

The guests assembled at the back of the yard around a grove of evergreen trees where the judge stood.

The musicians played softly as House and Wilson walked through the yard to just in front of the judge. Tiffany, the maid of honor, made her way to them and stood on the other side.

Casey came out. She was wearing white jeans and a turquoise print top, baby doll style with a handkerchief bottom (which nicely covered her pregnancy bump.) When she appeared, the music stopped. She gave her friends a questioning look. With a wink to each other, they changed the music and the singer started:

One…singular sensation, every little step she takes.

One…thrilling combination, every move that she makes.

One smile and suddenly nobody else will do.

You know you'll never be lonely with you know who.

One moment in her presence and you can forget the rest

For the gal is second best to none.

Ooh, sigh, give her your attention

Do I really have to mention she's the one!

(from A Chorus Line, 1975. Music: Marvin Hamlisch, Lyrics: Edward Kleban)

Casey looked shocked at first, then burst out laughing. She did a dance walk with jazz hands through the yard, taking a step and kicking out her right foot, then another step and kicking out her left foot.

The guests laughed as she made her way to the edge of the yard and when she reached House, he was laughing as well. She grabbed his hands and kissed him lightly, then they turned to the judge as the singers ended the impromptu song.

Judge Franklin spoke to those assembled. "Casey and Greg asked me to officiate and I was happy to do so. But not to marry them. Judges, priests, ministers don't marry people. They stand by and watch as people marry each other. So that's what I'm going to do. Watch, along with all of you, as Casey and Greg marry each other. At the end, I'll sign a paper that says they did it right. If they do. You never know. From what I've seen, Greg isn't very good at following rules."

Everyone chuckled.

"So, go ahead, Casey, marry this man."

Casey smiled as she looked at her soon to be husband. "Greg, when you came into my life, it was in turmoil. And I never expected to meet the love of my life. But then you helped Tiffany, which made you wonderful in my eyes. And then you taught me what it means to love someone. I never thought I'd be a wife and mother, living in the suburbs, but here I am. And there's no where else I want to be. Greg, I take you as my love and my husband for always."

House looked at her and was silent for several moments.

Judge Franklin addressed him. "Greg?"

He nodded, then raised an eyebrow as he said, "Wow, I must really be good. Course, I always knew it, but it's nice to have recognition."

The guests snickered and groaned as he continued. "But the truth is, I wasn't alive until a hot dancer thought I was worth something. Now I am." He took a deep breath and said in a quiet voice, "Casey, I take you as my love and my wife for always."

He turned to Wilson, who handed him two wedding bands. They didn't need to speak. Silently they placed the rings on each other's fingers.

When they were done, the judge smiled. "Since Casey and Greg have married each other – and Greg even obeyed the rules – I can now announce that they are husband and wife."

Everyone cheered. House and Casey kissed passionately and the musicians started playing. The bride and groom moved into a dance as the singer started:

In a place that won't let us feel

In a life where nothing seems real

I have found you, I have found you.

In a world that's moving too fast

In a world where nothing can last,

I will hold you, I will hold you.

Our lives will change when tomorrow comes

Tonight our hearts drown the distant drums

And we have music alright tearing the night

A song played on a solo saxophone

A crazy sound, a lonely sound,

A cry that tells us love goes on and on

Played on a solo saxophone

It's telling me to hold you tight and dance

Like it's the last night of the world

In our little part of the earth,

There's a place where life still has worth

I will take you, I'll go with you.

You won't believe all the things you'll see

I know cause you'll see them all with me

If we're together that's when we'll hear it again

A song played on a solo saxophone

A crazy sound, a lonely sound,

A cry that tells us love goes on and on

Played on a solo saxophone

It's telling me to hold you tight and dance

Like it's the last night of the world

Dreams were all I ever knew

Dreams you won't need when I'm through

Anywhere we may be

I will sing with you

A song played on a solo saxophone

So stay with me and hold me tight

And dance like it's the last night of the world.

(from Miss Saigon, 1991 Music: Claude Michel Schonberg, Lyrics: Alain Boublil, Richard Maltby, Jr.)

Before the song ended, other joined in to dance. When the last note played, House and Casey kissed again to one more cheer.

Then House announced, "Time to eat!"

Everyone had a good time. A few hours -- and several drinks -- later, House ended up playing some boogie woogie on the portable keyboard. Tiffany and her friends grabbed bowls of snacks and retreated to her room to watch YouTube videos on her computer. The Broadway crew mingled with the doctors and the suburban families. The food and drinks flowed all night.

Blythe offered to stay with Tiffany so that House and Casey could have a short honeymoon. They went to New York for three days, stayed at the Plaza and ate fabulous meals.

At home, Blythe and Tiffany had a chance to really get to know each other. The girl had never had a grandmother in her life. They went shopping and talked. Tiffany really enjoyed hearing stories about House as a child.

When House and Casey returned, they found both ladies happy and relaxed. Blythe returned home, promising to come back before the twins arrived. And the House family settled down to wait for their arrival.


	41. Chapter 41

Chapter 41

Everything was progressing well with the pregnancy. Dr. Vitelli wanted to do an amniocentesis because of the multiple birth and Casey's age. When the results came back, it showed that the twins were developing exactly on schedule. It also, of course, revealed the sex.

At first, Casey didn't want to know the sex as she thought it would be better to be surprised. But then she thought about how much she needed to get ready for their birth and knowing what gender to prepare for would help her.

So Dr. Vitelli told them with a smile that the twins were boys. House pumped his fist in the air and shouted, "Yes!"

Casey looked at him in surprise. "I didn't realize you wanted boys that much."

"It didn't matter, except that the estrogen level in the house would have been out of control if they were girls. Now we add some more testosterone to the mix."

Casey just shook her head.

"And," House added, "Now we can name them. And I've got some good ones ready."

"Really? Like what?"

"Thelonius, Miles, Charlie, Cab, Dizzy, Chet, Sonny."

"What the hell are you talking about? Thelonius? Who would ever name a kid Thelonious?"

"Mrs. Monk did. Thelonious Monk, jazz musician. Miles Davis, Charlie Parker, Cab Calloway, Dizzy Gillepsie, Chet Baker, Sonny Rollins.'

She shook her head again. "Well, I have some ideas of my own. Andrew, Stephen, Richard, Oscar, Alan Jay, Frederick, Jerry, Cole."

He narrowed his eyes at her. "And they would be who?"

"Andrew Lloyd Webber, Stephen Sondheim, Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein, Alan Jay Lerner, Frederick Loewe, Jerry Herman, Cole Porter. Broadway composers."

"Do you really think I intend to name my sons after Broadway composers?"

"Do you really think I intend to name my sons after jazz musicians?"

They glared at each other and argued over it for several days, before Tiffany became the voice of reason.

"Why don't you each name one of them? Uncle Greg can name his after a jazz guy and Aunt Casey can name hers after a Broadway guy."

They looked at each other and agreed that was a really good idea. So they both set about to come up with the perfect name.

As the summer progressed, Casey began to feel some trepidation about the event.

"Is it going to hurt?" she asked him.

"What?"

"Giving birth. Is it going to hurt?"

"Never did it, so I don't know. But from what I've heard …probably."

He saw her face and knew that it was bothering her.

"Hey, are you worried about it?"

She hesitated, chewing on her bottom lip. "Would you be upset if I asked for drugs during the delivery?"

He looked at her, then took his vial of pills from his pocket and said, "Yeah, I have a real problem with people using drugs to handle pain."

She still looked upset, so he added, 'Do whatever you want. I plan to be heavily medicated during the birth."

She smiled then and hugged him.

In late July, Casey took Tiffany shopping for back to school. She thought it was a good idea to do it early, before she got too close to her due date.

They were walking around the mall. They had already purchased the school supplies and some clothes. Tiffany was carrying all the bags, since House had warned her not to let Casey carry anything.

"Come on, Tif," Casey said, "I can carry some of them. They aren't all heavy."

"No." Tiffany told her with determination. "Uncle Greg said you shouldn't carry anything. Do you think I'm going to go against what he said?"

She turned to see her aunt's reaction, but she wasn't there.

"Aunt Casey?" She looked around and, to her dismay, saw Casey leaning against the wall, her eyes closed. She ran back to her.

"Aunt Casey! What's wrong?"

"I-I don't know. I just started getting really dizzy."

Tiffany looked around. "There's a bench right over here. Hold on to me and we'll go sit down."

The girl took her aunt's arm and led her slowly to the bench. They sat and Casey tried to get her bearings.

"I don't know what's wrong…oh, no!"

"What? What is it?"

"My water just broke!"

"Is that bad?" Tiffany was upset and since she didn't know all the points of childbirth, she was also confused.

"It means the babies are coming."

"When?"

"Probably now. Or at least soon."

Tiffany really wanted to panic right now. She really did. But she knew that she couldn't. She took out her cell phone and scrolled her numbers, then selected one.

House was in the conference room with his team. Unfortunately, his cell phone was on his desk and with all the arguing about the symptoms, he did not hear it ring.

When he uncle didn't answer, Tiffany knew she had to make her own decisions. She dialed 911.

The voice on the other end asked what the emergency was. Tiffany quickly replied, "My aunt is pregnant and her water broke. We're at the mall!"

The woman got some further information from her, which mall, where they were, etc., and promised that the EMT's would be there shortly.

Tiffany saw a man in a uniform patrolling the area and assumed he was mall security. She called him over and told the man what was going on. He contacted his counterpart and they arranged to make sure the EMT's got to the right place.

The 911 operator was as good as her word. Within minutes, a man and a woman were racing through the mall with a gurney, led by the other security guard. They talked to Casey, quickly examined her and ascertained her condition. Then they helped her onto the gurney and took her out, Tiffany running behind them.

Casey kept protesting that she was okay, that she could walk, but fortunately, everyone ignored her. They got her to the ambulance and put her in. One of the EMT's told the driver, "Let's get her to Princeton General."

Tiffany heard him and said, "No, you have to take her to Princeton Plainsboro. Her husband is a doctor there."

"Sorry kid, we have to take her to the closest hospital."

"But her husband is an important doctor there. He's going to be really mad if you don't take her to Princeton Plainsboro."

They ignored her and she started to panic. She knew how upset House would be if her aunt was in the wrong hospital. "Please!" she cried. "Her husband is Dr. House and he's going to be mad. And you don't want to make him mad!"

The female EMT turned to look at her. "House? Her husband is House? This is House's baby?"

"Yes!" Tiffany told her. "Greg House is her husband."

The woman called to the driver. "Change of plans. We're going to Princeton Plainsboro."

"What the hell?" the other EMT asked. "That's twenty miles out of our way."

"I've had run-ins with House before. That's why I changed to this area. She's right, you don't want to get him mad. If this is his wife and kid, we'd better get her to his hospital or we will really be sorry."

House went back to his desk and saw his phone on the desk. So that's where it was! He opened it and saw he'd had three missed calls, all from Tiffany. Fear gripped him and he quickly called her back.

"K, what's up?"

"Uncle Greg! Aunt Casey broke her water while we were in the mall!"

Fuck, he thought. "Where are you?"

"We're in an ambulance. When I couldn't get you, I called 911."

"That's my girl."

"They said we had to go to Princeton General.'

"What? They can't…"

"But I told them we had to go to your hospital and that you would be mad if we didn't take her there. So now we're going to Princeton Plainsboro."

He smiled. This kid was good. "Let me talk to one of them."

She handed the phone to the female EMT. "My uncle wants to talk to you."

The woman looked a little scared as she took the cell phone. "Hello?"

"What's her condition? And try to use real medical words."

"Of course, Dr. House." She told him in as precise terms as she could of Casey's condition.

"I'll be waiting in the ER for you. Don't screw it up."

The woman rolled her eyes and gave the phone back to Tiffany.

"Let me talk to Casey."

Tiffany gave the phone to her aunt."

"Greg? I'm scared it's too early for the babies to come."

"It'll be okay. It's not necessarily too early. Don't worry. I'm going to call Vitelli right now. I'll be right there with you. Stay calm."

Casey nodded and said, "Okay, I'll try not to worry. Goodbye. I love you."

"Goodbye, sweetheart, I love you too."

Casey gave the phone back to Tiffany. She put the phone back up to her ear.

House told the girl. "You did real good, kid. Now, don't worry, it's going to be okay. I'll see you when you guys get here."


	42. Chapter 42

**This is the final chapter, although there is an epilogue that I wrote as part of the Fox Board's Friday night challenge which I will also post. I also have an idea for one more epilogue, but not sure when I'm going to do that one since I'm in the middle of writing another story now. Thanks for all of your reviews and to everyone who put this story on alert or made it a favorite. You guys are great!**

Chapter 42

It seemed to Tiffany in the ambulance – and to House waiting at the hospital – that it took forever to reach PPTH. But in reality, the traffic wasn't too bad and they made very good time. Still, House browbeat them when they got there.

"What took so long? Did you stop for every old lady crossing the street?"

The male EMT was going to respond, but his partner stopped him. "It's not worth it. You're not going to win. Let's just finish up and get out of here."

They left with House glaring at them. Then he turned his attention to Casey.

"How are you feeling?"

"Okay, I guess. Just nervous. Are the babies going to come now, today?"

"Your water broke, so probably. When the amniotic sac breaks, there's nothing to protect the baby."

"I'm not in labor."

"They'll induce you."

She still looked worried, so he tried to help her through it. "Twins are often premature and you're at almost thirty-five weeks. At thirty-seven weeks, there's almost no chance of problems. It's going to be okay."

"Are you sure?"

He wanted to reassure her, but he didn't want to lie to her either. "No, I'm not sure. I can't be sure. But I'm as sure as I can be with the medical knowledge that I have that the babies will be fine."

His honesty reassured her more than insincere statements of hope. "Okay. If you say so, I'm going to believe you."

He nodded and hoped he was right. Intellectually he knew that the chances were very good that there would be no problems. But he was now reacting on an emotional level – something unheard of for him. This was his wife and his children. The world was seriously out of kilter.

But he was right – of course. Dr. Vitelli induced labor and within a few hours, there were two little babies in the room beside them.

House found himself smiling. For some reason, he couldn't seem to stop. Everyone came in to see them: Cuddy, Wilson, his team. Tiffany was bouncing with joy over her new baby cousins.

"Actually, you'll be more like a big sister to them, since they'll be raised with you to look up to." Casey told her.

She looked at her aunt, her eyes brimming with tears. "Thank you, Aunt Casey."

"For what?"

"For giving me two brothers again."

"Oh, honey!" Now Casey started crying too, as they hugged each other.

House rolled his eyes, but inside, he was touched too. "Turn off the waterworks you two. People are going to think I made you cry."

At that moment, Wilson walked in and saw the crying females.

"House, what did you say?"

"See?" House said, exasperated.

"No, James, no." Casey explained. "It wasn't Greg. We're just feeling very emotional right now."

"Well you have a right too. You did great. They're beautiful."

"Thank you. I agree."

"So what did you decide to name them?"

House and Casey looked at each other. They'd been rolling the names around for awhile, but neither had told the other what they decided.

House had really wanted to name one of them Thelonius, just to see everyone's reaction. But even he knew that was too cruel a thing to do to a child. Hell, the kid had to go to school. Still, it would be fun to mess with them a bit.

"Thelonius Dizzy Gillespie House." He said with a straight face.

Three open-mouthed faces was his response.

"What, you don't like it? You said I could choose."

Casey tried to be diplomatic. "I know I told you to choose whatever you wanted and I don't want to be negative, but do you really think…?"

Wilson was not so diplomatic. "Are you out of your mind? What kind of idiot would give a poor child a name like that?"

House smiled wickedly. Tiffany laughed. "He's joking. He didn't pick that name."

"K, you get smarter by the minute. I'd better watch myself around you." He shook his head at the other two. "Do you really think I'd burden a kid with a name like that? It's going to be hard enough for him with me as a dad."

Casey was going to say something, but he kept talking. "My choice is Charlie Parker House. Is that okay?"

Casey smiled in relief. "That's fine. In fact, that's nice."

"And what about you, oh queen of the footlights? What name are you burdening my other son with?"

"Stephen Andrew. For two of my favorite composers."

House nodded. "I can live with that."

They called Blythe. She was so excited to find out she had grandsons and promised to fly in as soon as she could get a flight.

Later that evening, House and Casey were alone in her room with just the babies. Tiffany had gone to stay with one of her friends. Casey was holding Stephen and House had Charlie. He looked at his wife.

"Are you happy?"

"Of course. What do you think? I have two beautiful babies, a terrific niece and a wonderful husband."

"Yeah, but you probably won't ever go back to performing."

She looked wistful for just a moment, before saying, "There's a part of me that will always be a performer. I'm hoping this new job will fulfill some of those longings, but I know that part of my life is over."

"And you're okay with that?"

She thought about it for a second. "Yes, I think I am. I did what I had to do. And I don't regret a thing. "

She kissed the top of the baby's head and reached her hand out to House.

He smiled at her and took the hand.

The End


	43. Chapter 43 Epilogue

**This is the first epilogue that I wrote for the story. There will be one more, but I haven't written that one yet. In the meantime, please enjoy this. It was written as one of the Friday Night OC Challenges for the Fox board and is a nice bit of fun.**

**Thanks to all of you who read and reviewed and enjoyed this story.**

Epilogue – Part 1

"Are you sure you're going to be okay with them tomorrow?" Casey asked House.

"No, I'll probably kill them and eat the corpses." House replied.

She gave him a look.

"They're my kids and I've taken care of them before."

"For an hour or two. Not for an entire day." She bit her lip.

House continued to watch TV, ignoring her concern.

"Maybe one of Tiffany's friends could come over and help you."

"Don't need any help."

She returned to the kitchen, packing up snacks for the bus. It was her third annual field trip to New York City.

She gathered all of the students involved in the theater program from the eight high schools where she worked and took them to the city to see a Broadway show. She also got them to gather with some of her friends and other theater professionals for a chat session. She included everyone involved: actors, musicians, stage crew, etc. It was a massive undertaking and due to the number of kids attending and the different schools involved, she had to do it on a Saturday.

This year, Tiffany was going along as well. Since Casey worked for the Archdiocese, she received free tuition for her children. She'd been impressed by the educational programs at the schools and she especially liked the all girls school for her niece. Girls had a better chance for success in a single sex school. So she had enrolled Tiffany in Notre Dame High School. And of course, Tiffany had joined the theater program. So she was coming along on the trip.

For the past two trips, Casey had arranged for their nanny to work an extra day to stay with the twins. She had thought she'd arranged it this year. But at the last minute, she'd had to cancel because her aunt died and the funeral was the same day as the trip.

Casey had tried to find someone else, but it was short notice and everyone was busy. So she was left with only one alternative:

House had to babysit.

It was true, as he'd said, that he'd watched them in the past. But it was usually only for an hour or two and usually Tiffany was around to help. And it was usually while they were napping or after they went to bed.

This time it would be an entire day and he would be alone.

And the twins were right smack in the middle of the terrible twos – just a few months short of their third birthday.

One child at that age could be hard to handle.

Two were almost impossible.

Especially when they were identical twins who had inherited their father's mischievous streak and their mother's theatrical.

Casey was really worried about whether he would be able to handle them. He may have joked about murdering them, but she was afraid that it might not be a joke.

She had an idea and while House continued to watch TV, she slipped out of the room where he couldn't hear her. Pulling out her cell phone, she hit the speed dial button for the person she wanted.

"James," she said when he answered. "You have to help me."

She explained the situation to him.

"Casey, I certainly understand your concerns. But I'm not very experienced with small children myself."

"That's alright. I just need someone here to make sure Greg doesn't kill them."

"He wouldn't KILL them."

They were both silent for a few moments, considering this.

Finally, Wilson said, "No, he definitely wouldn't kill them. But he might lock them in their bedroom and get drunk."

"Right." Casey said.

"Okay, I'll be there."

"But you can't tell him I asked you to help. He thinks he can do this alone."

"Don't worry, I'll take care of it."

"Thanks, James, I really appreciate it."

She returned to the kitchen just as Tiffany came in.

"Hi, honey." Casey said to her niece. "How was the movie?"

"Okay. Terry loved it, Nicole hated it and Judy and I thought it was fair."

Casey smiled briefly at the girls' reactions, but Tiffany could see the worry in her eyes.

"You're still thinking about tomorrow?" Tiffany asked her.

Casey nodded.

"He'll be fine." Her niece said. "And besides, look at it this way, if they get hurt, at least he's a doctor. He can patch them up."

Casey glared at her. "You sound too much like him."

"Relax." She kissed her aunt and headed to the family room where she sat next to House on the sofa.

"Aunt Casey is worried."

"There's a news flash." House replied.

She hesitated, then said, "Look, I could get someone to come and help out if you want…"

"For the last time, I do not want!"

She nodded. "Okay. I know you'll be fine. I just wanted to be sure. Goodnight, Uncle Greg."

"Night, K."

She kissed him on the cheek. He watched her leave the room. A few weeks short of her sixteenth birthday and she was becoming a lovely young woman. The problem was the boys were noticing as well. House had been thrilled with Casey's decision to enroll her in the all-girls high school and thought that would solve that problem.

It hadn't. The boys were still hanging around.

But that was a problem for another day. Tonight, he had to convince Casey that he would be able to take care of the twins so that she wouldn't worry on her trip.

He was good at convincing people, especially his wife, of things.

Of course, it was easier to do when he really believed it.

When he finished watching TV and headed to bed, he found Casey already there. She was still awake, probably thinking about how he would kill and maim his sons.

"Do you want me to get them up and dressed before I leave?"

"No. You're leaving a six-thirty. They don't get up until seven-thirty. If you get them up then, I'll have to get up too. I'd rather sleep an extra hour."

"But then you'll have to get them dressed and give them breakfast."

"Well, I've been dressing myself for a long time now. I think I know how the clothes go. Pants on top, shirts on the bottom, socks on hands, is that right?"

"And breakfast.

"Cold pizza all around."

She stared at him.

"I get it, no pizza. But chocolate cake is okay, right?"

"Cereal. With milk. And fruit."

"Got it. Now, can we think about something else?"

"What else?"

"Well, how about this?" He kissed her.

"Maybe, we could…"

He kissed her again and covered her body with his. He'd worry about tomorrow, tomorrow. There were better things to think about tonight.

Part 2

Charlie and Stephen woke up as they did every morning, chattering to each other. Being twins, they communicated almost telepathically. But chattering in the morning helped them to wake up and start their day. It also told Mommy that they were awake and it was time to get up and make their breakfast.

But Mommy didn't come. They climbed out of their beds. Since moving out of their cribs and into toddler beds a few months ago, they'd become very adept at getting out of them. Mommy knew they could do that. They learned to be quiet in their room if they were supposed to be in bed. Mommy only got mad if she heard them when they were supposed to be asleep. They also learned to listen for big footsteps and to climb back in bed when they did.

But now they didn't hear anything. They crept out of their bedroom and went to the first door near theirs. They looked at each other and thought, "Tiffy."

They peeked inside, but saw only an empty bed and clothes scattered around.

"No Tiffy." Charlie said.

"No." Stephen answered. "Find Mommy."

"Yeah, Mommy."

They moved to the room across the hall and pushed open the door. They tiptoed inside and went to where their mother slept. They looked at each other again.

"No Mommy." Stephen said.

"Daddy here." Charlie added.

They both looked at the man sleeping soundly. Mommy always said not to wake up Daddy 'cause Daddy worked hard and needed his sleep. They tiptoed back out of the room.

"Want b'eakfast" Stephen said.

"Me too." Charlie started towards the kitchen, his brother behind him.

They padded into the kitchen and looked around, trying to figure out what to do next. Mommy always put them in their high chairs and gave them bowls of cereal.

But Mommy wasn't here.

"Want cereal." Charlie said. Stephen nodded, then they both looked at the high cabinet.

"Capin up high." Stephen said, referring to their favorite Cap'n Crunch.

Charlie nodded, then got a look in his eye that said he had an idea. He reached for the drawer handles, trying to get a hold of them, but they kept moving. But Stephen, ran over to the kitchen chair and started pulling it. Charlie saw what he was doing and joined him. Together they pulled the chair over to the counter and Charlie hoisted himself up onto the seat, then stood and moved his leg up to the counter. He got up there, but the cabinet was too hard to open. However, his eyes roamed the counter from his new vantage point and they lit up when he saw the ceramic cookie jar shaped like a big red strawberry.

"Cookie!" he cried.

"Cookie? Want cookie!" Stephen said happily.

Charlie went to the red jar and pulled it towards him, trying to get the lid to open. But he moved it a little too far to the edge of the counter and….crash!

"Oops." He said.

House had been sleeping soundly. He thought he heard something crash, but turned over to keep sleeping. Casey would deal with it. Slowly though, it began to register. Crash – Casey – trip – twins…the TWINS!

He pulled himself out of bed and ran as fast as his leg would allow him towards the sound of the crash. He limped into the kitchen and two pairs of blue eyes looked up from the floor where they sat in the midst of a broken cookie jar, happily stuffing chocolate chip cookies into their mouths.

"Hi, Daddy." Charlie said.

Stephen tried to say it as well, but his mouth was full of cookies, so it sounded more like, "'I 'add.'"

House looked at the pieces of the big strawberry that his mother had bought them and that Casey really liked and the little boys sitting there and said, "What the hell?"

Charlie giggled. "Daddy said hell."

"Don't say hell, Daddy. 'Dat's bad."

House knew they would now repeat the word in front of their mother. "Shi…" he stopped himself. "Okay, this isn't a good idea, guys. Mommy's not going to be happy about her cookie jar."

They had the wisdom to look sheepish. He hid a smile and lifted them one at time and placed them in their high chairs, each of them grabbing at least one more cookie before they left the floor. He turned to remove the cookies from their hands, but they shoved them into their mouths too fast. He sighed and turned to the mess on the floor.

The cookie jar had broken in three large pieces, and the cookies hadn't broken hardly at all, so he didn't think they'd ingested any ceramic pieces. Of course, there was the fact that they'd eaten cookies off of the kitchen floor, but Casey kept the kitchen relatively clean and kids ate a lot of dirt in the course of their lives without injury.

He sighed and went to the cabinet to get the cereal and some bowls. He put the bowls on the trays of the high chairs and poured cereal into them. He turned to the fridge to get the milk. By the time he turned around, there were pieces of cereal all over the trays and the floor as the boys happily threw pieces at each other. He picked the stray pieces off the trays and returned them to the bowls and poured milk into them.

He turned again to get spoons and when he turned back, four little hands were immersed in the bowls, happily splashing milk all over the trays and each other. His eyes widened as he wondered how they managed to do that so fast.

The cookies had obviously filled them up and they weren't going to eat any cereal, just play with it. He took the bowls away and wiped the trays with some paper towels. He peeled a banana and broke it into pieces as he'd seen Casey do and put them on their trays. They started munching on the fruit and he took a deep breath and went to the coffee pot, which Casey, thankfully, had set up for him, so that all he had to do was turn it on.

He sipped the coffee while the boys ate the banana, then realized he hadn't gone to the bathroom yet.

"I'm going to the bathroom, boys, I'll be right back."

"We go too, Daddy!"

"Yeah, Daddy, we go potty all the time."

House sighed again. Casey was trying very hard to get them potty trained and she encouraged and reminded them to use the toilet frequently during the day.

"Okay," House said, "I guess we're going to have a party at the potty."

He took them out of the their high chairs and they ran to their bathroom. During the night they wore diapers, so he had to remove them so that they could use the potty. Both of them tinkled a few drops into the toilet to their delight. They showed it to House proudly and he pretended to be impressed.

But he thought how life turns around. As you got older, you were pretty proud of your waste emissions as well.

House really had to go now, so he used their toilet too. Of course now the boys had no diapers on so they ran gleefully around the house, naked from the waist down as he did his business. When he was finished, he somehow gathered them and herded them into their bedroom.

"Come on, guys, time to get dressed." He opened the dresser, but they got in front of him and began pulling out the clothes that they wanted. Since he really didn't care what they wore as long as they got dressed, he let them choose.

Once they had some clothes out, he told them, "I'm going to get dressed, then I'll come back and help you, okay?"

They nodded and smiled at him. See, he thought, that's not too bad. He made his way to his bedroom and quickly threw on jeans and a t-shirt, picked up his cane and went back to the boys' room.

Only to find that they had somehow removed every article of clothing from their dressers and strewn them throughout the room.

He looked at them in wonder. "How in the world…I wasn't even gone five minutes!"

Not sure what he was asking them, they just looked at each other.

He ran his hand over his face and said, "Look, just pick one shirt and one pair of pants so I can get you dressed."

He was finally able to get the clothes on them and, ignoring the mess in their room, led them out to the family room. Time to chill out a bit, he thought.

"Who wants to watch Sponge Bob?"

"Me!" "Me!" they said in unison.

He turned on the TV and settled them on the sofa beside him to watch the show. It was just turning nine o'clock when his cell phone rang.

Part 3

Right on time, he thought. He opened it and said, "Good morning, dear, how is your trip going?"

"Fine." Casey said. "How are the boys?"

"Great, we're having fun. Stephen, put that down, guns are not toys. Charlie, no, I told you no whiskey until AFTER lunch."

"Sarcasm is not necessary." She told him.

"Sarcasm is always necessary. Relax, we're doing fine."

"Of course you are, I know you are. I just wanted to say hi."

"Well, good, you said it. So, now, bye. Go play on Broadway."

"Okay, well…"

"Bye." He closed the phone.

But a few minutes later, it rang again. He knew it wasn't Casey again, but he wasn't surprised to hear Wilson's voice.

"Hey!" Wilson said.

"Hey." House replied.

"What are you up to today?"

House smirked. "You know that I'm watching the kids."

"Oh, that's right. Well, do you want some company?"

"Why? The barracuda toss you out?"

Wilson rolled his eyes. He had continued seeing Nicole's mother and two years prior, he had moved into her house.

"Janice and Nicole went shopping for the day."

"Sure. Come on over if you want."

A few minutes later, Wilson knocked on the door. House moved carefully away from the sofa where the twins were engrossed in the show. Maybe he could let them watch it and have an adult conversation for a minute.

He let Wilson in.

"There's coffee if you want it." He stopped in the kitchen himself for a refill.

"No, I'm good. Where are the kids?"

"Watching TV."

"Shouldn't you be watching them?"

"I've only been out of the room for two minutes."

Wilson stared at him and House thought about what he just said, then turned quickly and headed back to the family room.

The boys were no longer on the sofa. They had managed to pull all the DVD's out of the rack and opened the cases. Both the cases and the DVD's themselves were strewn across the floor, while they ran their little cars and trucks them.

"We made a road, Daddy."

"Yeah, I see that. Interesting paving material."

Wilson tried to hide a smile and said, "Hey, guys."

"Uncle Jimmy!" they squealed and ran to him. He lifted them both up into the air and swung them around. "How about if we help Daddy get all of these movies put away."

"Leave them." House said, glaring at him.

"House, do you really want to leave all this for when Casey comes home?"

House blew out a breath. He knew Wilson was right, he just didn't want to give in to his 'wise' advice.

"Leave it, I'll do it later."

Wilson just shook his head and looked at the boys that were trying to climb all over him.

"How about if we all go to the backyard to play for a while?"

House looked at him and nodded. That was good idea. The boys could run around and work off some energy.

They went outside to the backyard. The boys ran to little plastic sliding board and playhouse and started running around while House and Wilson sat on the deck and watched them.

"So how's it going with the barracuda?"

"Will you stop calling her that! Janice and I are doing fine."

"She's not trying to harpoon you?"

"What? What are you talking about?"

"Marriage."

Wilson shook his head. "Nope. We've both been there and neither one of us wants to do that again."

"And no little Wilsons?"

"No. I've been a father to Nicole for the last few years and that's been enough. Her own dad isn't a part of her life, so…"

"Yeah, I know how that feels." House said, thinking of Tiffany.

"Uh, where are the boys?" Wilson asked.

House scanned the yard, but didn't see them near their toys. He got up and started out. He finally saw them behind a tree in the back.

"There they are." He said. Wilson joined him and they went to get them – and found them sitting in a puddle of mud. Actually, most of the puddle was all over them.

"This is fun, Daddy."

House closed his eyes and tried counting to ten before he grabbed their hands and dragged them back to the house. The men took the boys into the bathroom, stripped the muddy clothes off them and deposited them in the bathtub.

Once there was enough water in the tub and the boys were happily splashing each other, Wilson said, "Why don't I go make them some lunch?'

"Yeah!" the boys cried.

House nodded. "PB&J will be fine."

"No problem."

House tried to wash the boys, but more water ended up on him and they splashed and squirmed. Finally, he felt they were clean enough and he scooped them out. He tried to wrap towels around them to dry them, but he only managed to sop up some of the water. Then they ran, naked and laughing back to their room.

Part 4

After another round with the clothes, he had them dressed and followed them to the kitchen. Wilson helped him get them into their high chairs where peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and sippy cups with milk sat waiting for them.

As the boys happily started munching, Wilson asked House, "Want me to run down to the deli for something for us?"

"They'll be napping after lunch, so that sounds good."

Wilson nodded. "The usual for you?"

"You know it."

He left and House opened the fridge to see if there were any beers. Seeing four bottles in there, he closed it, satisfied.

Only to turn and see the boys 'painting' each other with peanut butter and jelly. It was all over their hair, their clothes, the high chairs.

"How did you…" House started, then stopped. What was the use of asking them?

He took them out of the high chairs and back into the bathroom. He was able to avoid the bathtub this time, though he did have to take their clothes off. After washing their faces, arms, and hair, he took them, in their underwear to their bedroom and got them into bed for their nap.

"You guys are going to go to sleep now, right."

"Yes, Daddy."

"Yes, Daddy."

House smiled at them and left the room, thinking it really wasn't so hard taking care of them. Wilson had returned with their lunch and they sat in the family room in front of the TV, watching a Phillies game and eating their sandwiches. They finished lunch and continued watching the game.

Eventually, Wilson turned to House and said, "How long do the boys usually nap?"

"Casey said about an hour a half."

Wilson sat up. "House, it's been over two hours."

House shrugged. "So? They're quiet, I'm not worried."

Wilson wasn't convinced. "They can get into a lot of trouble in forty-five minutes."

House thought about it, then stood up and limped to their bedroom. He listened outside the door for a moment, but didn't hear anything. No problem, he thought. He opened the door.

And his mouth fell open.

There were crayon drawings over all of the walls. Two pairs of blue eyes looked at each other, then at House.

"We do pictures, Daddy."

"P'itty ones."

House was speechless. "How could you…why would." He gave up. He found some more clothes for them – no wonder Casey always seemed to be washing – and herded them out of the room and looked daggers at Wilson.

"We need to do something. Now."

"Uh, Sure. How about if we take them somewhere?"

"Okay, where?"

Wilson thought for a second, then said, "Chuck E Cheese. They can play in the balls and then we can get pizza."

"Fine. Let's go."

They strapped the twins into their car seats and drove to the children's restaurant.

It wasn't long before Charlie and Stephen were happily tossing balls at each other while the men watched.

"I know she called you." House told Wilson.

"Called? Who called? What are you talking about?"

"Give it up. Casey was worried and she asked you to come over and help."

"No, I just…"

"It's okay. I'm glad you did."

Wilson smiled and glanced back at the ball bin.

"Uh, where are they?"

"They're right there, under that pile of balls."

"Where?"

House looked and saw that the kids he'd been keeping an eye on were not his.

"Oh, shit!"

Part 5

The two of them frantically started searching the restaurant for the boys. Wilson was about to talk to the manager, when House spotted them. They were sitting amidst a group of children that were celebrating a birthday.

He went over to the party and the twins looked up at him, smiling.

"Hi, Daddy!" they called out.

The woman, who was apparently hosting the party, smiled at him. "I take it they're yours?"

"Yeah." House said. "They sort of escaped from the ball bin."

"Happens to me all the time." She said.

"Thanks for letting them stay with you. Come on, guys, our pizza's gonna be here."

"But Daddy, they have cake!" Charlie said.

"We want cake!" Stephen whined.

"Charlie, Stephen, come on!"

The woman interrupted. "They're welcome to some cake. There's plenty. Why don't I cut them each a piece?"

"Yay!" the boys cried.

"Okay, but after you eat your dinner." House told them, thanking the woman before leading them back to their table where Wilson was waiting with their pizza.

They managed to make sure the boys each ate a slice before tucking into the cake. Of course, they also ended up with pizza sauce and cake icing all over their faces and in their hair. The men had to take them to the men's room to try to clean them up before heading home.

When they got home, it was still too early to put them to bed, even though House tried to convince Wilson that it wasn't.

"They're only going to wake up and bother you again if you do. We need to get them really tired first."

"How? Should we make them join a construction crew? Or with these two, maybe destruction."

"Let's take a walk." Wilson suggested.

The four of them headed to the park that was two blocks away from the house. When they reached the park, the boys ran and headed straight for the jungle gym. Apparently, they weren't tired yet.

Wilson watched them, amazed. "Where do they get all that energy?"

"I have a theory." House said. "Everyone is born with this huge amount of energy, but they use it all up when they're kids. That's why we're so tired. We used it all up years ago."

Wilson chuckled. "You may be right."

As they watched them, they saw Charlie climb up to the top of the contraption.

"Isn't that too high for him?"

"I don't know." House said, just as he heard Stephen cry out.

"Daddy! Daddy! Cha'lie too high!"

House and Wilson limped over to see Charlie sitting on the top rail, tears running down his face and holding on for dear life.

Although the jungle gym was high for the boys, the top was eye level for House. He was able to reach out and pick the child up off the rail. Charlie clung to his father.

"Too high, Daddy."

"Yeah, I know. Let's move over to the sandbox."

Charlie nodded and the four of them went to the sandbox. House sat on the bench nearest to it and watched them wearily.

"I can't do this!" he told Wilson. "I don't know how Casey does it. I don't why she does it. What could possibly make any of this worth it? I've spent the entire day cleaning up after them, looking for them or pulling them out of trouble. They don't stop, they never stop!"

"They're your kids."

"I know. That's what makes it worse. MY kids! And look how they act."

"They're still pretty much babies."

"Yeah, babies who can walk, talk and get into trouble."

"Did you think your kids wouldn't get into trouble? Your mother is probably laughing her ass off. It's called justice."

House glared at him.

"They're not that bad, House."

"Yes, they are." He muttered quietly. "They're monsters. What did I do to deserve this?"

"Uh, how much time do you have?"

"It was a rhetorical question!"

When he glanced back at the sandbox, it was empty.

"Shit, they're gone again!"

Part 6

They started around the park, calling out their names. Finally, they saw them. They were at the edge of the field where there were bushes and little plots of flowers. They were rolling around in the grass. House was relieved, but exasperated.

"Charlie and Stephen, come here now! And don't leave our side again. We're going home." He called out in a loud and angry voice.

They looked at him, perplexed. They knew that Daddy got mad sometimes, but usually not at them. Stephen whispered to Charlie and he nodded. Ignoring their father's request, they turned and began to furtively do something..

House yelled again, "I said, come here NOW!"

After a few more seconds of frantic activity, they obeyed, their hands behind their backs. As they approached their father, they kept their eyes down. But once they were near him, they looked up with bright blue eyes and pulled their hands from behind.

They each had a handful of flowers.

"Dis fo' you, Daddy." Stephen said.

"We give Mommy flowers and she gets happy."

"We want you be happy, too, Daddy."

House looked at the little yellow dandelions and blossoms from a bush, all but crushed in the grubby little hands and at the earnest little faces behind them. He felt something tight inside him open up and he lost the ability to speak.

Wilson smiled and watched his best friend deal with emotions. He knew that was always painful for him. He reached out and took the flowers.

"I'll hold these for your dad. He can't carry them and the cane. When we get home, we'll put them in water."

"Okay." They said, still watching their father for his response.

Finally, House could manage to speak, "Let's go home." He croaked out.

The boys were uncharacteristically quiet on the walk home.

When they got to the house, he herded them into the bath once again. They kept staring at him, waiting for something they weren't quite sure of. In the bathtub, they looked at each other.

"Are you mad at us, Daddy?" Charlie asked.

"You don't like us?" Stephen added.

"I'm not mad at you. But I'm tired. And I do like you. I like you very much." He added quietly.

They smiled at him. How was it that when your kids smiled at you, you almost – ALMOST – forgot everything else? He looked at the little glass of water with the bedraggled flowers in it. Maybe there was something that made it worthwhile.

They finished their bath and he changed them into their pj's, then House took them to the family room again and placed them in front of the TV, this time making sure he sat with them. Wilson grabbed a DVD from the rack and put it in for them.

The boys shrieked with glee when they saw Toy Story starting up and House nodded. He thought it was one of the funniest movies he'd ever seen and had personally bought it for his sons. They settled down together on the sofa, a boy on either side of him. Wilson smiled as he watched them.

"I think I'm going to head out. Janice will be home by now."

House nodded, pulling the boys closer, as Wilson let himself out. The House men laughed at the antics of Woody, Buzz and the gang until the day's activities got to them.

Half an hour later, Casey and Tiffany walked in and found the three of them sound asleep on the sofa, while Randy Newman sang, "You've got a friend in me…"

The ladies looked at each other and smiled. They each picked up a twin and carried them into their beds. Tiffany then headed to her room, while Casey returned to the family room and sat down beside her husband. Kissing him softly on his lips, he slowly opened his eyes.

"Hi." She said.

"Hi." He smiled, then sat up. "Oh, god, the kids…"

"It's okay, they're in bed."

He sat back, relieved.

"Were they okay?" She asked him.

He thought about the messes, the running away, the changes of clothes, the food fights, the broken cookie jar…and the flowers.

"They were fine."

THE END


	44. Chapter 44 Final Epilogue

**I hadn't changed this to completed because I knew I wanted to do this epilogue. But I wasn't able to do it, because I was working on the new story. Then our Fox Friday night challenge was "House admits he's happy" and I thought it fit with what I wanted to do here. So this is now the final end to this story. Thanks to everyone who read it! If you have the time and inclination, check out my story Come In From the Rain. **

What I Did For Love – Final Epilogue

House knew it was morning. Even with his eyes and the curtains closed, he could sense the sunlight peeking through. And it was later morning too. Subtle clues told him that. For one, Casey was not in bed with him. She was usually up between eight and eight-thirty on weekends, though he knew she'd be up earlier today. There were also the small family noises. They all knew to let him sleep in on Saturday, so they were usually quiet, but by nine, they'd start moving around a little more.

If he kept his eyes closed, he could pretend it was way too early to get up. And he really wasn't in any hurry to start THIS day. The sooner it started, the sooner it would be over. No thanks.

But if it was going on ten, he wouldn't be able to avoid it. If he wasn't in the kitchen for coffee by ten-thirty, Casey would come in and wake him up. Especially today.

RRRRRR….

Uh-oh, he thought, it was ten o'clock. Stephen was under strict orders not to start working on the jalopy until ten. Not just for his father's sake, but for peace with the neighbors as well.

But if he was playing with the engine now, it had to be ten. Actually, the car was pretty sweet, though he'd never admit it to his sons. A 1970 Mustang, one of the original muscle cars. How Stephen had found it, House would never know. The kid had a knack. He and Charlie had pooled their money to buy it and Stephen promised to have it running by the time they got their driver's licenses. House had been skeptical, because the kid had never touched an engine, but he also knew when one of his boys wanted something, they usually found a way to do it.

So Stephen perused the internet and searched libraries and book stores for everything he could learn about the car. And to everyone's amazement, it was actually running. There were a few more things he needed to do, but in a few weeks, when the boys could get their licenses (God help us all!), the car would be ready.

It was weird how the kid got up early every weekend, working on that car. Why didn't he sleep in, like his brother? He knew that Charlie was still sound asleep. Of course, Casey would be waking him up soon as well. And stopping Stephen from working on the car.

She had the day planned down to the minute. She had told him that numerous time. She had even recited the schedule, thought he hadn't listened. Why bother? She would tell him where she wanted him to be at any given moment anyway.

He turned over and snuggled into his pillow for what was surely the last time this morning. He was right.

"Greg?" he heard her call in a moderate voice. "Are you awake?"

Ignore the voice, he told himself, and sleep a little more.

But soon the voice was beside the bed.

"Come on, Greg, you need to get up. It's ten o'clock and there are million things to do."

"Not for me to do." He grumbled.

"That's not exactly true, but in any case, I need to get this bedroom cleaned up and I want to do it now. You know the schedule."

"What schedule?"

Exasperated, she asked, "Greg, did you ever listen to me when I told you the schedule?"

"Were you talking?"

She narrowed her eyes at him and said, "You have ten minutes to be out of this bed and in the kitchen."

"Hey, I need more time. I'm a cripple."

"That's why I gave you ten. Charlie's getting five.

She left the bedroom and he heard her walk across the hall and call out, "Charlie, get your ass out of bed now! You have five minutes."

He heard a groan from the other room. Charlie hated to be awakened like that. He could get up early when he had a football game or basketball practice, but when he wanted to sleep, he wanted to be left alone.

Charlie was a star athlete, very popular, president of any club he joined. He had also dated all the cheerleaders and most popular girls in school. And there was always a different one. Last night, he'd taken the little redhead to the dinner, but he was bringing the blonde today.

House knew the kid had lost his virginity at age thirteen, when he was already pursued by girls. So House had sat both boys down, given them each a box of condoms and told them to be smart and stay healthy, alive and child-free. Charlie had gone quickly through the box and several others. House always asked if he needed more. He didn't' want the kid riding bareback because he didn't have money for rubbers.

But House doubted Stephen had even opened his box. Or maybe he sold it to his brother. Stephen was the serious, intense kid. He ran track because that was a solitary sport, which suited Stephen better than team sports. But he'd also inherited his mother's theatrical streak and always had a lead role in the school shows.

And it wasn't that Stephen didn't like girls, he was just more discriminating than Charlie. He was almost fifteen before he went on his first date. He stayed away from the popular girls, preferring the quiet, studious girls instead. And he would date the same girl for weeks or months. In fact, he'd been with the little brunette for almost three months. Nice girl, though she was scared of House.

He finally dragged himself out of bed and limped to the bathroom. He took his time even though he could hear Casey calling to him to hurry up.

He looked at his reflection in the mirror. God, when had he gotten so old? The gray had overpowered whatever hair was left. Bags under the eyes and wrinkles. The sixties were not a good decade for him. Not that he anticipated his seventies to be any better.

And this was going to be an especially bad day.

Casey breezed into the bathroom. "Come on, Greg, let's go. Lots to do. This is going to be a wonderful day!"

"Says who?" he mumbled.

"Oh, stop being a gloomy Gus. It's a wonderful, happy day. And the weather is perfect."

"What's so perfect about it?"

"The sun is shining, the sky is blue, not a cloud in sight."

"It'll probably be a hundred degrees by noon and the humidity will suffocate us until it causes a thunderstorm."

Casey sighed and he cast a glance at her.

"Of, course the day could get better if you'd like to return to bed with me for a few minutes. That would definitely improve the day."

"Greg, as exciting as a quickie with you sounds, you know I don't have time."

"Not on the schedule, huh?"

"Nope, sorry. I can pencil you in for later, will that work?"

He glared at her and returned to examining his face in the mirror. She just shook her head. She was used to her husband's moods and had learned to ignore them.

She kissed him on the cheek as she went past. "I love you, too. Come on, your coffee's getting cold.

An hour later, House was still sitting on the deck with his coffee and was still wearing his t-shirt and sleep pants when he heard a rustle of activity from inside. He turned and saw the four of them laughing and grabbing water bottles and food.

He was even more depressed when he realized this was probably the last time they would be spending time in his house. No matter how much he had complained about them over the years, he knew that now he would miss them.

She spotted him on the deck and came outside to sit beside him.

"Uncle Greg, come on inside. The girls want to say hi."

"I've said hi before. No need to do it today."

"Well, you'd better get moving anyway. Aunt Casey is going to blast you if you don't keep to her schedule."

"Screw the schedule. Sit down, K."

Tiffany smiled at the use of the nickname he'd given her when she was eleven. He always continued to use it.

He looked at her intently. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

She laughed. "Uncle Greg, you've been asking me that for the past six months, everyday for the last six weeks."

"I know. But you haven't given me the right answer."

"I've given you the only answer I can. Yes, I'm sure I want to do this."

"But are you really sure?"

"Uncle Greg, come on, you've known Mike almost as long as I have. You like him."

"Just because I like him doesn't mean I want him marrying you."

Tiffany sighed. "We've been through this before. I've known Mike since college. I'm twenty-nine years old. I think I know what I'm doing."

"Yeah, everyone says they know what they're doing, right up until divorce court."

She rolled her eyes. "We're not going to end up in divorce court."

"You don't know that."

"Neither do you."

"Do you know how many marriages end in divorce?"

"I'm sure **you** do, but you still married Aunt Casey."

"That's different."

"It always is when it refers to you."

He glared at her, but didn't answer.

"Uncle Greg, I have to get ready. The girls are waiting for me. Please, be happy for me."

She went back into the house and took her friends to her bedroom to get ready for her wedding.

"How can I be happy for you?" House asked to the empty deck. "When I don't even know how to be happy for me?"

Three o'clock came much faster than House wanted. Everyone was bustling around, laughing, greeting each other and having a wonderful time. House really wanted a drink, but he'd promised Tiffany he wouldn't drink until after the ceremony. Luckily, the reception was right after the ceremony and in the same place, so he wouldn't have to wait long.

The house where the wedding was being held was really very lovely. Michael Evans came from a well-to-do family. Their home, about an hour from House and Casey's, was large and had a beautiful garden with a lovely rose trellis. The justice of the peace was waiting in front of it. To the right stood the groom.

Michael really was a terrific guy who would make a great husband for anyone who wasn't his niece. He was tall and strong, with an athlete's build. Considering that he was a hockey player, that made sense. He'd studied Sports Medicine at Penn with Tiffany – that's where they'd met. He'd also played hockey in college. After graduating, he'd played for a few farm teams, but he'd just been signed by the Philadelphia Flyers. That's when he'd asked Tiffany to marry him so that they could start their lives together in Philly.

After graduating from Penn, Tiffany had landed a job as an athletic trainer with the US Olympic team and spent three years traveling with them, so her relationship with Mike had been mostly long distance. But when Mike had proposed, she had left the Olympic team and come home. She and Mike had gotten an apartment in Philadelphia which, of course, was in visiting distance to Princeton.

And recently, Tiffany had gotten a job as a trainer for Villanova University, which was located just outside of the city. She and Mike were buying a house in the Philadelphia suburbs, in close proximity to both of their careers.

Tiffany had always loved sports and she'd turned that love into a career that she also loved. She had considered becoming an athlete, but her uncle's influence had made her want to consider medicine. But she didn't relish the idea of the years of medical school and internship. Sports Medicine was the better choice for her. As an Athletic Trainer, she was trained in the care and prevention of illness and injury related to sports and exercise. It only required an undergraduate degree and taking the NATA test (National Athletic Trainers Association).

And now, thanks to Mike, House and Wilson were guaranteed season tickets – box seats too – for all the Flyers games. Which was sweet.

And he had 'ins' on the other sports teams in Philly and New York, so he got them tickets to those as well. And he was an easygoing guy that enjoyed watching games with them. He'd even joined their poker game on occasion.

Everyone agreed he was terrific. House thought so too. He wished the guy really good luck and wanted him to be happily married. Just not to HIS niece.

As House stood by the French doors of the house, he took a good look at the crowd. The men of the bridal party stood there, Michael, with his best man, his brother Kevin. Next to them were the two young House men, both ushers.

Both boys were as tall as their father, with his beautiful blue eyes. But, thankfully -- in his mind -- the rest of their looks came from their mother. Their fine features and killer smiles were all Casey. They looked devastating standing there, a matched set in their navy blue suits.

Casey was sitting on one of the lawn chairs set up for the guests. She was still so lovely. Fifty-six looked good on her. She had turned around to say something to Wilson. Damn him! Why did gray hair on him look distinguished while House just looked old. And the damn guy still had a full head of hair! He also still had the barracuda beside him. How he had managed to spend all of these years with Janice, House would never know. But they seemed okay together, so who was he to judge?

Casey was watching him and she smiled and winked when she saw him staring. He smiled slightly and turned his head. He was surrounded by three lovely young women. Tiffany's friends had stayed that throughout the years.

Judy, the maid of honor, had just gotten married a few months ago. She was a staff accountant for a local bank.

Terry was a nurse. Wilson had recommended her for a job and PPTH. She'd gotten married three years earlier and had given birth to her son a year before.

Nicole, the barracuda's daughter, had become a lawyer. She worked for a New York law firm and was too involved in her career to worry about men. But thanks to Wilson's influence over the past fifteen years, she wasn't as disillusioned about men as her mother had been.

Despite their very different lives and locations, they remaining close and in contact with each other. They were lining up, getting ready to march up to the gazebo.

But where was the bride?

Just as that question came to him, he felt a hand on his arm. He turned and saw her.

She was a vision. The simple, strapless white dress, fell just below her knees. Her brown hair was pulled back from her face with a white band rimmed with little white silk flowers and the rest of her hair hung in loose curls down her back. She was smiling nervously at him, but her eyes were sparkling.

"How do I look?" she asked him.

He couldn't find his voice for several moments. Finally, he croaked out, "You look beautiful."

She gave him a radiant smile.

"Just remember, you can still change your mind," he told her, "Don't worry about the money or all these people. Fuck them."

She stared at him. "Why aren't you happy for me?"

"It's not that I'm not happy for you."

"Well, it's seems as though that's what it is."

He stared at the floor and twirled his cane for bit, then whispered, "You don't need me to be happy for you."

She was amazed at his words. "Of course I do, I wouldn't be who I am without you."

"Nah, your aunt…"

"Aunt Casey was wonderful. She still is. But you gave me what I needed. You were a father. You never tried to take my own dad's place, but you always let me know that you supported me and cared about me. I would never have made it through life without you."

He looked like he didn't quite believe her.

"Uncle Greg, you are the most important person in my life. I want you to be happy for me, because I am so happy and I never would have been without you. Now, how about you walk me through this garden so that I can get married?"

He nodded, again unable to speak. She linked her arm in his and slowly, taking care due to his leg, they walked through the garden and past the guests to the gazebo. When they got there, he kissed her on the cheek and put her hand in Mike's. Then he made his way to the chair beside Casey.

As the Justice of the Peace spoke the words of the simple, non-denominational ceremony, he thought about her words.

She wanted him to be happy for her. He looked around at the people who were his friends. He actually had more than one friend. He looked at Mike's parents, nice people who thought he was very smart and interesting. And didn't mind his sarcasm at all.

His eyes landed on his handsome sons, young men who had the world ahead of them. They were bright, wonderful boys whom he adored. Casey reached over and took his hand and he marveled at the fact that he had somehow managed to stay married to this amazing women for all of these years.

Then he looked at the young woman standing there and reciting vows with her very soon-to-be husband. For all intents and purposes, she was his daughter. And she was leaving him today.

The justice of the peace pronounced them married. They kissed and turned to the assembled guest, who clapped and cheered.

As soon as Tiffany turned, she caught House's eye, smiled and winked at him. They started down the aisle, followed by their wedding party.

A thought occurred to him then. His family, his life made him happy. Really happy. He knew that was true, not that he dwelled on it. But he did know it.

So why couldn't he be happy for Tiffany beginning her marriage, her own family, her life? He knew why.

The bride and groom had just finished their first dance and D.J. was making another announcement.

"The bride will now dance with her uncle."

House groaned. He had not wanted to do this and had complained that he couldn't dance anyway. But both Tiffany and Casey had overruled him, pointing out that he could dance a slow dance. Then Tiffany had pleaded and he had relented.

He stood up and Tiffany came and took his arm, leading him onto the dance floor. The music started.

_Is this the little girl I carried? Is this the little boy at play?  
I don't remember getting older, when did they?_

House had to smile, even though he had known what song it would be. Of course, Casey's niece would pick 'Sunrise, Sunset' from Fiddler on the Roof for them to dance to. But he got solemn again when he remembered why they were here.

"Uncle Greg, please be happy." She whispered into his ear as they danced. "This is one of the best days of my life. I love Mike so much and we are going to have a good marriage. There is no reason for you be worried about me."

"I'm not worried about you."

"Then what are you worried about?"

"I'm worried about me?"

"Why?" she looked alarmed.

"Because you don't need me anymore. You have him." He avoided her eyes as he spoke.

A soft smile came to lips. "Uncle Greg, that's not true. I will always need you. You saved my childhood, my life. I can't imagine my world without you in it."

"But you've got a husband now."

"But you're my…father. I love you and I need you. I always will."

"You don't need an old man like me."

"You're not old. You're…timeless. And I wouldn't have anything that I have today if you hadn't come into my life."

He saw the truth in her lovely eyes.

"So can you please be happy for me?" she pleaded.

He nodded. "Yeah, I guess I can. I'm happy for you."

She smiled at him.

"But he'd better treat you good. And keep the season tickets coming."

She laughed.

_One season following another…laden with happiness and tears._

_Sunrise, sunset. Sunrise, sunset…._

THE END


End file.
